news

Building trusting relationships between veterinary surgeons and farmers is crucial to improving animal health on dairy farms, researchers at The University of Nottingham has found. The study on perceptions and challenges of vaccinations among vets was carried out by academics in the University's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science on behalf of ADHB Dairy, a not-for-profit organisation working on behalf of Britain's dairy farmers.

New research by The University of Nottingham has found that more than 90% of horse owners did not feel confident in spotting early signs of colic. Now, The British Horse Society (BHS) and The University of Nottingham have teamed up to help horse owners combat the life-threatening condition at today's (1 September) launch of the REACT Now to Beat Colic campaign.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool are using the health records of dogs to monitor the status of a potentially fatal tick-borne disease that appears to have been imported into the UK. Canine babesiosis is transmitted to dogs by infected ticks, with symptoms including a lack of appetite, fever and jaundice.

New research revealing the welfare priorities of the UK's 800,000 equines will be outlined at an event at the House of Commons next week [Tuesday 12 July]. The four-year research study, led by academics at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences and funded by World Horse Welfare, aimed to understand the welfare status of horses in England and Wales, identify priority welfare issues and explore horse owner and industry experts' perceptions of these issues.

Owners of one of the UK's most popular dog breeds, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are being asked by researchers at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences to take part in a study to investigate a novel method of assessing neck pain in dogs. Syringomyelia is a progressive inherited neurological disease of the neck spinal cord in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS), which may cause neck pain and affects around 70 per cent of CKCS over six-years-old.

To coincide with European Antibiotic Awareness Day , researchers from the University of Liverpool have edited and contributed to a special online collection of research papers relating to the use of, and resistance to, antimicrobials in horses, which is published today by the Equine Veterinary Journal .

Human error is the largest single cause of mistakes made by veterinary surgeons when treating patients, new research by The University of Nottingham has revealed. The study, published in the academic journal The Veterinary Record, found that the majority of errors were caused by the limitations of memory and attention leading to slips, lapses and mistakes that can occur when distracted or under stress.

Experts in one of the most dangerous health problems in horses have just published new research which could transform the way the condition is diagnosed and treated by vets and horse-owners. The two new studies, carried out by researchers at The University of Nottingham's Vet School , have looked at the first assessment of more than 1,000 horses with colic, and also asked more than 200 vets how they go about diagnosing colic.

A particular gastrointestinal disorder, which causes colic, or abdominal pain, in horses, is more prevalent in Lancashire compared with other nearby counties, according to researchers at Lancaster University and the University of Liverpool. They have also found that Idiopathic Focal Eosinophilic Enteritis (IFEE), lesions causing an obstruction in a horse's small intestine, is actually seasonal and occurs more often in younger horses.

6 January 2015 At present there are no consistently safe and effective methods for the treatment of headshaking in horses. The condition, a neuropathic facial pain syndrome, often leaves affected horses impossible to ride and dangerous to handle, and can result in euthanasia. A new study has found a treatment called percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) could reduce signs of the condition in horses.

Press release issued: 9 December 2014 With over 42 million horses and 95 per cent of the world's donkeys found in developing countries, new research could change the health and welfare of millions of working animals in some of the poorest parts of the world. The three research studies led by Dr Becky Whay , Reader in Animal Welfare and Behaviour in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, aim to build greater understanding and encourage collaboration in addressing the welfare problems of the world's working equids.

Pet owners should talk to their vets well before the fireworks season starts Research from the University of Liverpool has led to calls for pet owners to talk to their vets well before the fireworks season to avoid unnecessary distress to their animals. The study of 100,000 veterinary appointments conducted alongside the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) and the University of Bristol shows that too few owners realise their vet can help, and those who do seek support often do so too late - leaving short-term medication as the only option.

Press release issued: 18 August 2014 Yawning, sighing and stretching are just three behaviours observed in donkeys that have been evaluated in newly published research led by academics from the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences and funded by global equine welfare charity the Brooke.

The study found cats eat approximately 15% less food during summer Cats eat more during the winter and owners should give their pet more food during this time, University of Liverpool research has found. Researchers from the University's School of Veterinary Science , in collaboration with colleagues at the Royal Canin Research Centre in France, spent four years monitoring how much cats chose to eat, and found that food intake increased in colder months and decreased during the summer.

Overpopulation in cats is recognised to contribute to high numbers of cats entering rescue shelters each year. New research suggests that the high number of unwanted kittens may be due to common misconceptions held by cat owners. The research led by academics at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences is published online in the Veterinary Record .

Academics at The University of Nottingham have launched two free internet resources for vets. Scientists from the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine (CEVM) at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science have launched BEstBETS for VETS ( www.bestbetsforvets.org ) and VetSRev ( www.nottingham.ac.uk/cevm/vetsrev ).

Ageing animals from their teeth goes back to the time that man first started keeping animals. New research has applied modern statistical techniques to investigate the association between the stages of dentition in cattle and their age to give a more detailed explanation of the differences between the sexes and various breeds of cattle in the UK.

Despite current recommendations by UK welfare organisations that cats should be neutered at four months, a new study from the 'Bristol Cats' study cohort has shown that 85 per cent of pet cats are not neutered by the recommended age possibly due to cat owners needing better information about when to neuter their cat.

A study has gained new insight into domestic dogs' fear responses to noises. The behavioural response by dogs to noises can be extreme in nature, distressing for owners and a welfare issue for dogs. The research by academics from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, and funded by the RSPCA , is published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science .

The UK dog population is estimated to be around ten million, with dogs producing approximately 1,000 tonnes of excrement each day. New research has shown that dogs act as a major source of the parasite egg, Toxocara, which can potentially contaminate the public environment and infect humans.