British Veterinary Association Research Articles

Peter Martin Biggs. 13 August 1926—27 December 2021

Peter Biggs was a towering figure in poultry health research, making substantial contributions in avian infectious diseases in the second half of the twentieth century and first two decades of the twenty-first century. The world's poultry industry owes an immense debt to his pioneering research into Marek's disease (MD), a major threat to poultry health in the early years of intensive poultry production. On graduating from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 1953, Peter chose a research career studying avian diseases. Peter's dedicated research in the 1960s led to the identification of the MD virus and the subsequent development of a vaccine against MD. The development of MD vaccine, the first ever vaccine against a virus-induced cancer, had a major impact on sustaining the fledgling poultry farming that was crucial for the thriving modern poultry industry. Later, as the director of the Houghton Poultry Research Station in Cambridgeshire, UK, Peter led a programme of innovative scientific research exploiting scientific developments and technological advances to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding poultry industry. In addition to his outstanding leadership on research, Peter also contributed immensely to the formation of the World Veterinary Poultry Association, a global professional association for avian health specialists, and establishment of the journal Avian Pathology . Even after retirement, Peter continued to make valuable contributions to avian science through august bodies such as the Royal Society, Animal Health Trust, British Egg Marketing Board, British Veterinary Association and Houghton Trust. Peter was also a great mentor to many scientists who went on to leading roles.

British Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting.

British Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting.

Kinetic and Radiographic Outcomes of Unilateral Double Pelvic Osteotomy in Six Dogs.

The aim of this study was to assess the kinetic and radiographic outcome of unilateral double pelvic osteotomy (DPO) using a temporospatial pressure walkway, preoperative and postoperative radiographs. Retrospective case series of six dogs that underwent unilateral DPO for canine hip dysplasia. The untreated limb was unfit for DPO due to radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis and was therefore managed non-surgically. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs and kinetic data were compared between untreated and DPO-treated hips using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. There was no significant difference in British Veterinary Association Hip Dysplasia Scheme (BVA-HD) scores between untreated and DPO-treated hips preoperatively (p-value = 0.09) and postoperatively (p-value = 0.06). The median postoperative GAIT4 Dog Lameness Score was lower in untreated hips than DPO-treated hips but was not statistically different (p-value = 0.18). All dogs in this case series achieved a total pressure index and GAIT4 Dog Lameness Score on the DPO-treated hip comparable to normal limbs. All untreated hips in this series had increased BVA-HD scores at follow-up, whereas all DPO-treated hips had reduced BVA-HD scores. This difference was not significant and warrants further studies. We conclude total pressure index may be preserved in hips treated with unilateral DPO, while the contralateral hip is managed non-surgically.

Utilising interpersonal skills to manage challenging client behaviour

Widespread pandemic-related disruption has led to increasingly challenging client interactions. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) found that 57% of veterinary staff surveyed in 2021 reported feeling intimidated by client behaviour during the previous year; a 10% increase from 2019. The psychological impact of consistently difficult or abusive interactions can be significant and contribute to the high incidences of stress, burnout, attrition and potentially suicide increasingly noted in the industry. This understanding further highlights the need to focus on developing individual self-care strategies and leaders offering appropriate support to their team. Historically, veterinary education has overlooked the importance of training in interpersonal skills, such as communication, conflict resolution and emotional intelligence. However, human and veterinary medicine is evolving with increasing recognition of the significance of communication skills training to help prevent and manage of challenging client behaviour. This may help to ensure practitioners are better prepared for the challenges that await them.

Using interpersonal skills to manage challenging client behaviour

Widespread pandemic-related disruption has led to increasingly challenging client interactions. The British Veterinary Association found that 57% of veterinary staff surveyed in 2021 reported feeling intimidated by client behaviour during the previous year; a 10% increase from 2019. The psychological impact of consistently difficult or abusive interactions can be significant and contribute to the high incidences of stress, burnout, attrition and potentially suicide increasingly noted in the industry. This understanding further highlights the need to focus on developing individual self-care strategies and leaders offering appropriate support to their team. Historically, veterinary education has overlooked the importance of training in interpersonal skills, such as communication, conflict resolution and emotional intelligence. However, human and veterinary medicine is evolving with increasing recognition of the significance of communication skills training to help prevent and manage of challenging client behaviour. This may help to ensure practitioners are better prepared for the challenges that await them.

Using interpersonal skills to manage challenging client behaviour

Widespread pandemic-related disruption has led to increasingly challenging client interactions. The British Veterinary Association found that 57% of veterinary staff surveyed in 2021 reported feeling intimidated by client behaviour during the previous year; a 10% increase from 2019. The psychological impact of consistently difficult or abusive interactions can be significant and contribute to the high incidences of stress, burnout, attrition and potentially suicide increasingly noted in the industry. This understanding further highlights the need to focus on developing individual self-care strategies and leaders offering appropriate support to their team. Historically, veterinary education has overlooked the importance of training in interpersonal skills, such as communication, conflict resolution and emotional intelligence. However, human and veterinary medicine is evolving with increasing recognition of the significance of communication skills training to help prevent and manage of challenging client behaviour. This may help to ensure practitioners are better prepared for the challenges that await them.

British Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting

The 2022 Annual General Meeting of the British Veterinary Association will be held at Clare College, Cambridge, on Thursday 29 September 2022 at 16:15. Please visit www.bva.co.uk/ events to register your attendance.

Retracted: Triple protection supplement for horses.

Triple protection supplement for horses, Vet Record 2021, 189(5), p183, (https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.897). The above article, published online on 10September 2021 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by the journal's Editor-in-Chief, Suzanne Jarvis, the British Veterinary Association, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to the medicinal claims made for a supplement that are not permitted under the UK veterinary medicines regulations.

British Small Animal Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting.

British Small Animal Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting.

The veterinary surgeon and the farmer — controlling TB farm by farm

In considering how tuberculosis (TB) affects cattle across the UK, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has coordinated with representatives of the farming, veterinary and scientific communities from throughout the UK to bring out a new policy position on bovine TB. In it BVA seeks to draw on the social science of behavioural change, as well as the best available evidence to support each of the recommendations. By advocating strengthening the team of farmer, private veterinary surgeon and government at a single farm unit level, BVA believes that engagement with control and prevention strategies can be improved. Access to local, current data will be a powerful tool in motivating the conversations between veterinary surgeons and farmers on appropriate measures to be taken over and above the statutory minimum on each farm. Increasing knowledge of when and how to apply different testing modalities, as well as government support for their use, will enable ownership of both the disease and its solutions farm by farm.

British Small Animal Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting

British Small Animal Veterinary Association Annual General Meeting

A LINE-1 insertion situated in the promoter of IMPG2 is associated with autosomal recessive progressive retinal atrophy in Lhasa Apso dogs

BackgroundCanine progressive retinal atrophies are a group of hereditary retinal degenerations in dogs characterised by depletion of photoreceptor cells in the retina, which ultimately leads to blindness. PRA in the Lhasa Apso (LA) dog has not previously been clinically characterised or described in the literature, but owners in the UK are advised to have their dog examined through the British Veterinary Association/ Kennel Club/ International Sheep Dog Society (BVA/KC/ISDS) eye scheme annually, and similar schemes that are in operation in other countries. After the exclusion of 25 previously reported canine retinal mutations in LA PRA-affected dogs, we sought to identify the genetic cause of PRA in this breed.ResultsAnalysis of whole-exome sequencing data of three PRA-affected LA and three LA without signs of PRA did not identify any exonic or splice site variants, suggesting the causal variant was non-exonic. We subsequently undertook a genome-wide association study (GWAS), which identified a 1.3 Mb disease-associated region on canine chromosome 33, followed by whole-genome sequencing analysis that revealed a long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) insertion upstream of the IMPG2 gene. IMPG2 has previously been implicated in human retinal disease; however, until now no canine PRAs have been associated with this gene. The identification of this PRA-associated variant has enabled the development of a DNA test for this form of PRA in the breed, here termed PRA4 to distinguish it from other forms of PRA described in other breeds. This test has been used to determine the genotypes of over 900 LA dogs. A large cohort of genotyped dogs was used to estimate the allele frequency as between 0.07–0.1 in the UK LA population.ConclusionsThrough the use of GWAS and subsequent sequencing of a PRA case, we have identified a LINE-1 insertion in the retinal candidate gene IMPG2 that is associated with a form of PRA in the LA dog. Validation of this variant in 447 dogs of 123 breeds determined it was private to LA dogs. We envisage that, over time, the developed DNA test will offer breeders the opportunity to avoid producing dogs affected with this form of PRA.

We believe #BlackLivesMatter

‘The British Veterinary Association stands with all members and Team Vet colleagues who face prejudice. We want to state clearly that Black Lives Matter and it is up to all...

The Legal Regulation of Non-stun Slaughter: Balancing Religious Freedom, Non-discrimination and Animal Welfare

In February 2019, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) published a joint open letter to the British Government calling for a repeal of a legal exemption that permits the slaughter of animals without prior stunning. The RSPCA and BVA argue that repealing the exemption is required on grounds of animal welfare, claiming that non-stun slaughter causes unnecessary pain and suffering. By contrast, Islamic and Jewish groups assert that non-stun slaughter, when properly conducted, is both humane and a religious requirement for least some followers of their faiths. This article considers whether imposing a ban on non-stun slaughter is compatible with obligations to protect religious freedom and non-discrimination under the European Convention of Human Rights. It will conclude that it can be and, when done to protect animal welfare, falls within Contracting States’ margin of appreciation.

Assessment of the medium- to long-term radiographically confirmed outcome for juvenile dogs with hip dysplasia treated with double pelvic osteotomy.

To assess the medium- to long-term radiographically confirmed outcomes in juvenile dogs with hip dysplasia (HD) that did and did not undergo double pelvic osteotomy (DPO). Retrospective case-controlled. Twenty-six dogs with HD that were candidates for DPO; 22 dogs underwent DPO (16 bilateral, six unilateral); four dogs did not. Initial and follow-up radiographs of DPO candidates (2011-2017) that did and did not undergo surgery were reviewed, and the British Veterinary Association and Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme score (BVA-HD), osteoarthritis score (OAS) and laxity index score (LI) were determined. Baseline and follow-up BVA-HD, OAS, and change in radiographically confirmed scores were compared by using analysis of variance for correlated samples. There was no significant difference in BVA-HD or OAS between surgically treated and nonsurgically treated cohorts at baseline. Follow-up radiographs (median, 49 months) revealed that most (34/38) hips had a BVA-HD ≤10 after DPO, while four of eight hips from the nonsurgical cohort had BVA-HD >10. Follow-up BVA-HD and OAS were lower in hips after surgery (BVA-HD median 2.15, interquartile range [Q1-Q3] 1.3-4.1; OAS median 1.9, Q1-Q3 1.1-4.1) compared with the nonsurgically treated cohort (BVA-HD median 11.4, Q1-Q3 8.1-17.5, P < .01; OAS median 7.0, Q1-Q3 5.1-13.4, P < .01). Seven hips with an LI >1 had no radiographically confirmed progression of osteoarthritis after DPO. Double pelvic osteotomy prevented radiographically confirmed progression of osteoarthritis in the medium- to long-term. Laxity index score > 1 was not a contraindication for DPO in this study. Double pelvic osteotomy prevents progression of radiographically confirmed features of osteoarthritis in juvenile dogs with HD.

Effectiveness of Canine Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia Improvement Programs in Six UK Pedigree Breeds.

Hip and elbow dysplasia are common disorders in larger dog breeds and crosses, and a known contributory factor to osteoarthritis, lameness and reduced mobility. Screening schemes evaluating the severity of hip and elbow dysplasia in the UK are administered by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Kennel Club (KC). The BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia scoring scheme is over 50 years old, having originated in 1965, and has operated in its current form since 1983. The BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia grading scheme commenced more recently in 1998 and is based on the International Elbow Working Group guidelines. Hip score and elbow grade data on a considerable number of dogs in the UK have been generated from these two screening schemes. This study analyses data from dogs of six breeds scored from 1990 to present, to establish any determinable trends in hip score and elbow grade parameters, and to examine whether the implementation of such schemes has had a positive influence on hip and elbow health. A range of criteria, including the rate of participation in the screening schemes, hip score and elbow grade parameters (e.g., median, mean, standard deviation), and estimated breeding values (EBVs) were analyzed, both in the overall population and also among breeding animals. The results show a general decline in hip score parameters (median, mean, standard deviation, and 75th percentile), revealing a reduction in the prevalence and severity of hip dysplasia. There was a more modest decline in mean elbow grade within breeds. The proportion of sires and dams (of dogs born per year) with no hip score or elbow grade fell substantially over time, demonstrating good participation in the screening schemes. In most breeds, the scores of sires and dams are demonstrably improving. There is a declining genetic trend as ascertained by EBVs for both hip scores and elbow grades in most breeds, implying that the improvement observed is due in part to selection for improvement in hip and elbow health as described by the respective screening schemes.

British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual general meeting.

Journal of Small Animal PracticeVolume 61, Issue 1 p. 70-78 BSAVA BUSINESS British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual general meeting First published: 09 January 2020 https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13099Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume61, Issue1January 2020Pages 70-78 RelatedInformation

British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual general meeting.

Journal of Small Animal PracticeVolume 60, Issue 1 p. 64-72 BSAVA BUSINESS British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual general meeting First published: 09 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12970 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume60, Issue1January 2019Pages 64-72 RelatedInformation

How to craft an advert that’s just the job

‘A team player with excellent interpersonal skills’, ‘a motivated self-starter’, ‘a natural communicator’: job adverts often feature phrases that would never gain employment in any other environment. So which techniques...

British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual general meeting.

British Small Animal Veterinary Association annual general meeting.