Abstract
In early March, ISFM held its first ever Asian seminars — in Beijing and Hong Kong — in conjunction with Royal Canin. Each seminar attracted more than 100 veterinary delegates, many of whom had travelled from Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Korea. Topics covered included feline behaviour, chronic kidney disease, spinal diseases, osteoarthritis and the rational use of NSAIDs. The visit also enabled ISFM representatives to take a closer look at life for pet cats in China.
Dr Louis Liu, President of the Beijing Small Animal Veterinary Association, addresses delegates at the start of the Beijing seminar
ISFM representatives took the opportunity to visit several veterinary practices in Hong Kong and Beijing, including Dr Liu's veterinary practice in Beijing
The flat-faced Exotic and the Munchkin appear to be among the more popular breeds in Hong Kong, as judged by cats on sale in pet shops
Feline infectious peritonitis seems to be a significant problem in China. The fact that kittens sold in pet shops are often kept in mixed litter cages, as seen here in Hong Kong, may contribute to this problem
Richard Gowan (centre), from The Cat Clinic in Melbourne, Australia, one of the speakers at the ISFM seminars, discusses treatment of a case with Dr Liu (right) during a practice visit. Outside Hong Kong there is limited access to some Western pharmaceutical products and treatment often features fluid therapy and acupuncture
Speaker Richard Malik (left) checks out the cat ward at the Peace Avenue Veterinary Clinic in Hong Kong with its chief vet and owner Dr Phillip Mak
ISFM: IFCW — a new fund at the heart of cat welfare
ISFM has set up a new charitable fund, the International Fund for Cat Welfare (IFCW), the aim of which is to bring together and share skills, knowledge, resources and enthusiasm to tackle the issues of cat welfare worldwide.
‘Cats suffer because feline welfare is often not a priority and in many places adequate veterinary resources are not available. With ISFM behind it, the International Fund for Cat Welfare is in a unique position to make a real difference,’ according to Claire Bessant, Chief Executive of ISFM. ‘ISFM has a wealth of feline expertise. We already work with veterinary organisations throughout the world and have good, collaborative relationships with many other charities.’
The IFCW is striving to:
Improve the welfare of cats, owned and unowned
Improve veterinary care of all cats
Improve humane control of feral cats
Improve prospects for rescue cats.
For more information on IFCW go to www.ifcw.net and help us make a difference.
During National Vaccination Month in May, veterinary practices across the UK will be offering discount vaccination and a free health check to cat owners, whose pets are currently unprotected.
The national campaign, which is supported by Intervet/Schering-Plough and Merck and endorsed by ISFM, claims that 6 million cats are currently unvaccinated in the UK.
By logging onto www.nvmonline.co.uk in May pet owners can download a voucher offering savings of around 30 from participating surgeries in the UK. The scheme is also open to owners of dogs, rabbits and horses.
Medicines: Australian campaign improves permethrin products labelling
New label warnings are to appear on permethrin spot-on flea and tick treatment products for dogs in Australia thanks to a campaign by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA). The new graphic image (above right) will appear on the front of packages on its own, while on the back it will be accompanied by the wording that includes the secondary toxicity statement.
The AVA has been running a campaign to improve the labelling since 2008 when Richard Malik and other AVA members raised their concerns about the number of cases of permethrin toxicosis they were seeing in cats, and initiated a national survey to gauge the number of such cases presenting to veterinarians in Australia. 1
The 255 survey responses described 750 individual cases of feline intoxication that had presented for treatment in the previous two years: 166 deaths were reported. While most cases of intoxication were reported to be due to directly treating cats with permethrin spot-on products (primary intoxication), a small number resulted from close contact between cats and recently treated dogs (secondary intoxication).
All high concentration permethrin products are approved only for use in dogs and specifically warn against use in cats, but the warnings appear to be ignored or overlooked by some users. Some reported to the veterinarian that they didn't see the warnings, while others thought the warning was just a sales ploy to get them to purchase a more expensive cat product, so they ignored it.
With support from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and permethrin spot-on product registrants, the AVA commissioned a market research company to develop and test more effective warning messages for inclusion on all permethrin spot-on products for dogs. The new labels will be supported by educational campaigns to warn owners of the dangers of permethrin to cats and to draw attention to the new labelling scheme.