NewsThe newsletter of the Langford Small Animal Referral Hospital

UPCOMING

CPD p2

FELINEFOCUS p4

HOSPITALNEWS p3

SOFT TISSUE CASE STUDY p3

Summer 2016

Small Animal

Upcoming CPD

6 - Evening Bites: Behaviour eveningAs firework season looms join our Behaviour Specialist, Sagi Denenberg to learn more about managing patients with noise phobias.

20 - Evening Bites: Dermatology: a mixed bagJoin our Dermatology team for the following mini series of talks on a range of topics including: Pseudomonas otitis by Natalie Barnard, Demodex mites in dogs by Sophie Tyler and Treating atopic dogs by Aiden Foster.

22 - Vet Day: Respiratory dayA multi-disciplinary day covering the practical approach to coughing canines, surgical management of respiratory disease, airway cytology, and an interactive thoracic film reading session.

29 - Evening Bites: Film Reading EveningImprove your radiology skills with a selection of radiographs to interpret and discuss with the help of our radiologists.

4 - Nurse Evening: Infection controlRefresh your infection control knowledge, with topics including barrier nursing, hospital associated infections and infection surveillance.

7-8 - Vet Day: Principles of abdominal surgeryAbdominal surgery is commonly performed in small animal practice, particularly in the form of routine neutering and the exploratory laparotomy. However, abdominal surgery may not always be straightforward. This is a two-day course.

12 - Vet Day: Gastroenterology Part 1 - ‘Diagnosis and treatment of vomiting’In this course, our medicine team will cover the rational diagnosis and symptomatic treatment of vomiting dogs and cats.

If you have any special requests or would like to discuss any of our CPD courses in more detail, please contact us on

cpd@langfordvets.co.uk or 0117 928 9572.

Keep up to date on our CPD via www.langfordvets.co.uk/cpd

@LangfordVets or www.facebook.com/langfordvetssah

TEAM NEWS:

New Veterinary PhysiotherapistA big welcome to Emily Ni Mhuilleoir who joined our Rehabilitation team in June.

Emily graduated from the University of the West of England in 2010 with a degree in Physiotherapy. She worked in musculoskeletal and care of the elderly settings for a few years before specialising in Veterinary Physiotherapy. She completed her MSc with the University of Liverpool in 2015 where she carried out a research project investigating biomechanical changes that occur during particular balance exercises in dogs.

Emily has a particular interest in neurorehabilitation and pain management and is looking forward to developing the rehabilitation services here at Langford.

Welcome to our new Post-graduatesWe’re pleased to welcome a new year of Post-graduate students to our Small Animal Hospital team. A big welcome to (from left to right) Barney, Charlotte, Christopher, Georgia, James, Zohra, Dafni, Aina, Jacqueline, and Faye.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY:

Langford Vets Open DayOn Sunday 18th September we will be opening our doors to the public for this one day, family and dog friendly event. Our Open Day 2016 is set to include:

• Marquee and outdoor stands including a dedicated local food and drinks area, arts, crafts and more.

• A ‘have a go’ dog rally run by Little Orchard Dog Training Academy

• A ‘fun dog show’, run by our Small Animal Practice

• Equine attractions including the Avon & Somerset Police Mounted Section and pony rides by Urchinwood Manor Riding & Events Centre

• A display by Avon Owls, as well as birds of prey talks

• Children’s fun area including bouncy castle, inflatables, face painting, a teddy bear surgery and children’s entertainer, Mr Brown’s Pig

• ...and much more still to be announced!

Entry on the day is £5 per adult. Children aged 16 years and under are FREE. Dogs are welcome. Advance adult tickets can be bought for £4 before 31 August 2016.

For more information about the Open Day and to buy tickets, visit: www.langfordvets.co.uk/openday2016

September

October

Are you getting the most out of your referrals? If not, why not? Our loyalty scheme aims to reward you and your practice for choosing us as your preferred referral centre for all of your small animal and equine cases.

The scheme is open to all referring practices and rewards you with CPD points worth 10% of the invoice value (excl. VAT) for all cases your practice refers in excess of three cases per quarter.

Find out more at www.langfordvets.co.uk/loyalty

Sandy is a 12-year old Labrador who was referred to the soft-tissue surgery service at the Small Animal Referral Hospital for treatment of a primary lung tumour. Sandy was initially presented to her regular veterinary practice after developing a cough which had not resolved with antibiotics.

Thoracic radiographs (see below) as part of their investigations had identified a large mass in the caudal division of the left cranial lung lobe.

Our team performed a CT scan (see image on right). The results showed no evidence of metastasis elsewhere, which was good news for Sandy.

The prognosis for solitary lung tumours is excellent following resection, so Sandy’s owners elected for surgery. This was performed via a 5th intercostal thoracotomy using a surgical stapler. A temporary chest drain was placed and Sandy made an excellent recovery. She was discharged three days after her operation. Histopathology diagnosed the mass as a bronchoalveolar carcinoma which

had been completely excised. A biopsy of the tracheobronchial lymph node confirmed that no metastasis had occurred.

While she was here at the Small Animal Referral Hospital, Sandy’s owners elected to enrol her on to a study currently being performed at Langford Small Animal Referral Hospital, led by Anna Nutt, Resident in Small Animal Surgery and under the supervision of Guillaume Chanoit, Senior Soft-tissue Surgeon. The aim of this study is to determine whether muscle sparing thoracotomies reduce post-operative discomfort and lameness.

For animals enrolled in the study, a special offer of £2500 (usual price £3500-£5000) is currently available. This includes routine investigations, surgery and post-operative care.

For further information please visit:

www.langfordvets.co.uk/lateral-thoracotomy

Lee Meakin MA MRes PhD VetMB MRCVS - Staff Clinician in Small Animal Surgery

HOSPITAL NEWS:

FeedbackWe would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete a questionnaire about your experience referring a patient to our Small Animal Referral Hospital. Your feedback is important to us and allows us to continually improve the service we provide to referring veterinary surgeons, clients and patients.

To access the survey, simply scan the QR code below, or head to the following webpage:www.langfordvets.co.uk/SAHvetfeedback

All completed surveys will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win £50 of M&S vouchers (if you wish to enter).

HOSPITAL NEWS:

Canine osteoarthritis researchThe University of Bristol Veterinary School is currently running several studies investigating canine osteoarthritis. As part of this, they are looking for dogs in the area to take part.

• Bristol Dog Arthritis Study:

A study investigating pain mechanisms in dogs with osteoarthritis to ultimately improve the treatment of pain for dogs with this condition. For further information visit:

www.bristol .ac.uk/vetscience/research/

projects/bristoldogarthritisstudy

• Omega 3 docosahexanoic acid (DHA) Study:

A study to investigate the effects of supplementing Omega 3 DHA on pain and quality of life in dogs with osteoarthritis. For further information visit:

www.br istol .ac.uk/vetscience/research/

projects/canine-arthritis--omega-3-dha-study

Dogs weighing 12kg+ and showing signs of osteoarthritis in the hind limbs are invited to take part.

For further details, please call 07510 993922 or

email dogarthritis-study@bristol.ac.uk

HOSPITAL NEWS:

ISCAID SymposiumThe 4th ISCAID International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases Symposium will take place in central Bristol on 16-19 October. Event organisers include our Dr Séverine Tasker.

The 2016 Program will feature many lectures in companion animal infectious diseases with practical and relevant information for first opinion vets on a wide variety of topics.

For more information and to book your place, visit: www.iscaid.org/meeting-info

HOSPITAL NEWS:

New Advice Request EmailsTo make things easier for referring vets to submit advice requests, we have set up dedicated email addresses for each of our service areas.

Please use these email addresses (below) for all future advice requests. Any old email addresses you may have are no longer in use.

Feline felinemed-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Canine caninemed-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Neurology neuro-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Soft Tissue softtissue-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Orthopaedic ortho-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Behaviour behaviour-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Dermatology derm-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Rehabilitation rehabpain-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Anaesthesia anaesthesia-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Cardiology cardio-advice@langfordvets.co.uk

Soft-tissue Surgery Case Study

Our Feline Centre staff

In addition to our two RCVS recognised Feline Specialists (of only 13 in the whole of the UK), Suzanne Rudd is our resident Cat Advocate. Suzanne is in charge of ensuring that all Cat Friendly Clinic criteria are met.

Our Feline Centre has the largest team of RCVS recognised Feline Specialists in the UK. We also have dedicated feline nurses and a full time Feline Nursing Assistant. Because our nurses deal only with cats, they are very skilled at handling them with care.

The waiting room

Our dedicated feline waiting room is situated upstairs in our Small Animal Referral Hospital, away from the sights, sound and smells of dogs on the ground floor.

There are comfortable sofas and chairs and cat friendly features such as ledges, firm chairs and tables for owners to put cat baskets.

We provide towels and blankets that owners can cover their cat carrier with to avoid the potential stress of contact with other cats.

Our waiting room is stocked with up-to-date feline information and advice leaflets.

Stress-free consultation

All of the feline consulting rooms, procedures room and feline ward contain Feliway plug-in diffusers. We feel that this helps to calm nervous cats, however we emphasise to our staff and students that these are not a replacement for ensuring a cat friendly environment. Using cat friendly handling techniques and equipment is essential.

Cats in a stable condition are admitted to our cat ward. Due to its location on the first floor, the ward is a peaceful place away from any sight, smell and sound of dogs on the ground floor, as well as being completely away from thoroughfare.

For more information about our Feline Centre and our specialist, cat-friendly facilities, visit:

www.langfordvets.co.uk/feline-centre

Small Animal Referral Hospital - Reception Opening Hours Mon-Fri 8am - 7pm (phone lines open 8.30am - 6.30pm)

Sat 9am - 1pm

Call us on 0117 928 9420For out of hours 01209 823456Emergencies accepted 24 hours a day

Email us: sah@langfordvets.co.ukLangford Veterinary Services Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Bristol

www.langfordvets.co.uk

What makes us a ‘Gold Standard’ Cat Friendly Clinic?FELINE FOCUS:

Staff congratulationsA big well done goes to Sarah Spencer, Senior Clinical Training Scholar in Small Animal Medicine, who received an award at this year’s national congress of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA).

Each year, the BSAVA receives several hundred submissions of clinical abstracts and many become part of the congress programme. Sarah was one of six winners selected from 120 offerings at the 2015 congress to receive a Clinical Abstract and Poster Award and a £300 prize. Congratulations Sarah!

Staff newsSéverine Tasker has just returned from Australia’s Gold Coast where she lectured at the Australian & New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Scientific Congress on various haematological, molecular and infectious disease topics. During her visit, Séverine also became Professor of Feline Medicine - a great achievement!

Angie Hibbert has also just returned from France where she was the feline stream keynote speaker, delivering four lectures at the World Veterinary Dermatology Congress in Bordeaux.

Prof Edward Hall delivered a lecture on feline liver and GI disease at BSAVA Congress in Birmingham.

A big welcome to Megan Kelly, our new feline nurse, who joined the Feline Centre Team in June and is settling in very well.

Charlotte Roberts has also joined us. Having graduated from the University of Bristol Veterinary School, she is now working as part of our medicine nursing team. Charlotte has a strong feline interest and completed her dissertation on radioactive iodine treatment, so it’s great to have her on board.

Our Feline Centre at Langford Small Animal Referral Hospital is a ‘Gold Standard‘ Cat Friendly Clinic. We have been awarded this by International Cat Care in recognition of our dedicated Feline Only Facilities that ensure a stress free environment for visiting cats. What does this mean?

Here are just a few of the steps that we’re taking to keep us a Gold Standard Cat Friendly Clinic, and improve the experience of all our feline visitors: