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FECAVA AND ESCCAP unite to tackle vector-borne diseases
A dog with leishmaniasis.

Organisations working to better inform companion animal vets

Two leading companion animal organisations are set to collaborate in the fight against vector-borne diseases in cats and dogs.

The Federation of Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) and the European Scientific Counsel for Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) will meet at the WSAVA/FECAVA Congress in September.

The organisations will convene at the second meeting of the FECAVA working group on canine vector-borne diseases (CVBD). The group is working to better inform companion animal vets about emerging infectious diseases, such as heart worm, babesiosis and leishmaniasis.

Tools currently under development for veterinary practitioners by the group include algorithms, tables and travel advice for clients.

“Most companion animal veterinarians are insufficiently informed about these emerging diseases, and FECAVA has great potential to spread information on the distribution, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these diseases to practitioners in all parts of Europe,” commented Nenad Milojkovic, chair of the FECAVA working group on canine vector-borne diseases.

Ian Wright, ESCCAP’s guidelines director, added: “It is vital that veterinary professionals have easy access to the latest detained consistent advice from experts to help them make informed treatment decisions.”

Researchers hope that the tools under development will help raise awareness of vector-borne diseases and assist in the clinical approach in endemic areas.

FECAVA and ESCCAP will also co-author a paper on drug resistance which, according to Ian Wright, is "one of the defining issues in livestock, equine and human parasite control.” 

“While resistance has been much slower to emerge in parasites of cats and dog, there are huge data gaps in our knowledge as to how widespread it might be currently, and how likely it might be to develop in the future,” he said.

Image (C) © Filipe Dantas-Torres / Wikimedia

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VMD invites students to apply for EMS placement

News Story 1
 The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.

Students in their clinical years of study have until 28 February to apply for the placement, which takes place at the VMD's offices in Addlestone, Surrey, from 6-10 July 2026.

Through a mixture of lectures and workshops, the placement will explore how veterinary medicines are authorised, non-clinical career opportunities, and other important aspects of the VMD's work.  

Click here for more...
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Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk