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NewsAVMA and WebMD join forces to offer online pet informationSource: "The AVMA is concerned about the vast amount of misinformation about pet health that can be found on the Internet," explains Dr. Larry R. Corry, president of the AVMA. "Through this collaboration with an established and respected resource, we hope to give pet owners an opportunity to get accurate, sound advice about animals in general and, more specifically, about their pets." More than 20 veterinary Guest Experts are involved in the Healthy Pets Exchange to date. The Guest Experts encourage discussion and help owners ask the right questions of their pet's veterinarian to open a dialogue that can lead to the most appropriate diagnosis and treatments for their pets. "The Pet Health Exchange will help pet owners keep up to date on pet information about their pet's health, so they can provide the very best care for their animals," says Dr. Corry. "But no online community, no matter how well it is done, can ever be a substitute for the relationship between veterinarians and their clients." The link to the new Pet Health Exchange is on the upper right on the www.webmd.com, and you can also visit the new WebMD Health Pet Exchange directly at http://exchanges.webmd.com/pet-health-exchange. For any other information about veterinary medicine, please visit www.avma.org. Bacteria toxic to wound-treating maggotsSource: Use of maggots to disinfect wounds is an ancient practice that regained popularity in the early 1990s. Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT) is now a standard procedure at wound care centres all over the world, in which sterile larvae from the green bottle fly Lucilia sericata are applied to the wound either directly or contained within a sealed nylon bag. The maggots gently ingest necrotic (dead) tissue and kill ingested bacteria in the gut. In addition, the maggots secrete antimicrobial compounds into the wound, help reduce inflammation and promote wound healing. The actual biological mechanisms responsible for the process are still largely a mystery. Read more ... Benefits of badger culling not long lasting for reducing cattle TBSource: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease in cattle that has a serious financial impact on farmers in Britain, as infected animals have to be slaughtered. In 2008, 2,738 herds were infected with bTB, costing the government over £100 million. Wild badgers [Taxidea taxus, a nocturnal mammal of the weasel family] can become infected with bTB and are known to transmit the infection to cattle. Because of this, UK governments have tested various means of badger culling to control bTB infection in cattle over the past 30 years. Read more ... Vets warn against dangerous dogs issue becoming party politicalSource: Responding to the announcement by the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs that Defra will consult the public on reform of the legislation and compulsory microchipping, Professor Bill Reilly, President of the BVA, said: “The BVA has been lobbying the Government and Opposition hard for a change in dangerous dogs legislation and so we are delighted that the Government is now considering reforming the hugely unpopular and ineffective Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. “The BVA believes very strongly in the principle of deed not breed – targeting dogs for their actions, not what they look like – and we hope to see new legislation that tackles the actions of irresponsible pet owners that can cause dogs to become aggressive. Read more ... Vets welcome extension to UK pet travel protectionSource: The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) have been lobbying MEPs to support the extension and have strongly welcomed this decision. The transitional arrangements allow the UK to impose stricter measures on the entry of pet animals and are designed to protect the UK from rabies, ticks and tapeworms (Echinococcus multilocularis). The vote in the European Parliament today supports an extension of these arrangements until the end of 2011 and puts in place a system so that permanent measures can be imposed in the future for entry to specific Member States based on scientific evidence. The decision will have to be ratified by the European Agriculture Council before coming into force. Commenting, Professor Bill Reilly, President of the BVA, said: “The Pet Travel Scheme affords the UK’s pet, wildlife and human populations protection from serious diseases and parasites and we have long argued for these arrangements to remain until scientific evidence can prove that the risk is manageable. “The BVA and BSAVA have worked closely with Defra to secure this extension to the arrangements and we will now be pushing for investment in additional scientific research that will give us a clearer picture of the threat of the parasite Echinococcus multilocularis and other exotic and emerging diseases.” Read more ... NCVEI and Vetpartners Profitability Estimator Tool Now Available on NCVEI WebsiteSource: NCVEI and VetPartners collaborated on the design of the tool. “In recent years, members of the Veterinary Valuation Resource Council of VetPartners have seen an increase in the number of practices with no value or an exceptionally low value when appraised—i.e. No-Lo Practices” said Dr. Christine Merle, MBA, CVPM, Executive Director of VetPartners. “Quite unexpectedly, appraisers were also seeing low values in practices you would never normally expect it in. This low value was driven primarily by a lack of profitability and, to make matters worse, most owners of these low–profit practices were not even aware of their poor financial situation.” Jerry Davies elected RCVS Junior Vice-PresidentSource: Jerry graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1974. He then spent two years in the Department of Surgery as a House Surgeon. After a brief spell in general practice he returned to the RVC, gaining a PhD (equine gastrointestinal disease) and a Diploma in Veterinary Radiology. He held the posts of Lecturer in Veterinary Radiology and then Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Surgery. Read more ... Ten years of safe pet travelSource: It was 28 February 2000 when owners were first able to travel to and from the UK without placing their pets in quarantine, as long as they fulfilled certain important disease control criteria. A pug called Frodo Baggins was the first animal to travel with a pet passport and since then the UK has shown itself to be animal friendly with around 60 per cent of the pets travelling under the scheme belonging to UK owners. Animals from Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands make up about another 20 per cent. The scheme was set up in response to growing demand from owners to travel with their pets and the declining risk of disease allowed these changes to be made. In 2004 the European Union followed the UK’s lead and introduced a similar system for all Member States which has also proved very successful. The success of the scheme is fully demonstrated by the fact that it has not been associated with a single case of rabies. Read more ... Walter Plowright: developed vaccine against rinderpestSource:
Rinderpest is a disease of cattle, buffaloes, some pigs, and numerous species of wild ungulates. Historically, the virus was repeatedly responsible for causing tremendous havoc among livestock from at least the time of the decline of the Roman Empire. Losses frequently amounted to millions of animals annually. The resulting famines, social and political unrest, [sometimes war] were all too common until the acceptance of strict controls in Europe in the late 18th century. Read his obituary at the The Times Online ... European Pet Night 2010
As one of the event’s sponsors, FVE/FECAVA had an information stand and it also gave the opportunity to inform important European policy makers of our positions in the field animal health and welfare as well as human health field. 
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Dr Jerry Davies was elected Junior Vice-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons at yesterday's RCVS Council meeting. He was uncontested and is due to take up office on RCVS Day on 2 July 2010.
Dr. Walter Plowright, a renowned veterinary medical scientist, was recognized with the 1999 World Food Prize for his development of tissue culture rinderpest vaccine (TCRV). This is considered the key element in the quest to eliminate rinderpest, or cattle plague, from farms and herds worldwide. An announcement is expected shortly this year stating the eradication of rinderpest, the first animal disease to be eliminated worldwide; human smallpox was the first to be eradicated in 1979. 
