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Seasonal Canine Illness solution may take years
AHT scientist says "luck in breakthroughs" is needed

The Animal Health Trust (AHT) has said a solution to Seasonal Canine Illness (SCI) could be years away.

SCI occurs during the autumn months and has killed dozens of dogs since the condition was first identified in 2009. Clinical signs are symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea, which are non-specific and have a wide range of causes that animals often recover from.

The AHT has been focusing on five hotspot areas for the illness in Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk. Further data has also been compiled, such as from online questionnaires.

Suggested causes include accidental poisoning, blue-green algae, bracken spores, fungi and harvest mites; but despite ongoing research, its cause remains a mystery.

Richard Newton, head of epidemiology and disease surveillance at the AHT, said: "It has only been in the past two seasons we have been looking at this. At this stage, saying how long it will take to solve this problem is difficult.

"The Kennel Club has been very important in helping us. If we can keep that funding, I would hope we might have it cracked in a couple of years. We might need a bit of luck in making those breakthroughs in that timescale, but we really want to stick at it."

Dr Newton added that finding the agent causing SCI was proving difficult, as the unknown toxins are difficult to identify when you are not sure what you are looking for.

The AHT are working with numerous organisations to find a solution to SCI, including the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the AHVLA and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).

"This was always going to be a team effort," said Dr Newton.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.