VetNI

Veterinary Northern Ireland

Avian flu – talk to your clients, particularly the backyard flock owners

By

There has been a case of bird flu detected in Tipperary this week as well as multiple cases in England over the last few months. Although this may seem like an annual event,  the current strain is slightly different to previous years and this is a serious disease with potentially devastating consequences to poultry keepers and to the extensive NI poultry industry. We would therefore ask practices to remind their clients to ensure that they are registered with DAERA as this allows quick flow of information to the client. Enhanced biosecurity is vital to try and prevent the spread of this disease from wild birds to domestic flocks and the help of practices to spread this message, especially to backyard flock owners, would be much appreciated. More information is available on the DAERA website.
Biosecurity leaflet can be downloaded here.
A poster for your surgery can be downloaded here.

Please take a few minutes to complete Bristol university research survey investigating consultation techniques in veterinary practice, including quality of life scoring.

By

A group of researchers at the University of Bristol are investigating consultation techniques in veterinary practice, including quality of life scoring.   If you are a Vet or Vet Nurse working with dogs please take a few minutes to complete the survey below:
The survey can be accessed at https://svs.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/dogs

 

 

Support #ColostrumIsGold this February

By

Raising awareness that feeding the right quantity of colostrum, of the right quality, quickly enough after birth, reduces the chances of new-born animals needing antibiotic treatments at any point in their lives. Find out how to support #ColostrumIsGold by reading on…   https://www.colostrumisgold.org

Also check out BVA’S Blog Written by John Fishwick – BVA President from September 2017 to September 2018.  John is senior lecturer in Dairy Herd Medicine and former head of the Department of Production and Population Health at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). He is a former President of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA).

BVA blog on the subject here:
http://bit.ly/2BL9xlw

BVD statuses and movement restrictions on APHIS

By

BVD costs the cattle industry in Northern Ireland millions of pounds each year. Changes announced on 17th January 2018 will help support the NI agricultural industry’s efforts to eradicate this disease however the retention of persistently infected animals is still a problem and farmers must be encouraged to follow AHWNI’s advice and remove these animals as soon as possible.

http://www.animalhealthni.com/news_article/117.aspx
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/bvd-statuses-and-movement-restrictions-aphis

How familiar are you with all the updates to the TB Testing Contract?

By

Vets in NI farm practice – if a job’s worth doing, we know you’ll do it well!  However, did you know that DAERA can make certain types of changes to the TB testing contract without formally notifying you in advance of the changes coming into effect?  To ensure that you continue to meet and exceed the standards set in the contract its worth checking the DAERA website to ensure that you are fully aware of all of the changes made since this contract came into force in Spring 2016.