Newsletter Issue 26 Autumn 2011
Into the future As we look forward to the return of the students for the new academic session I have been reflecting on the progress of the School in the last five years. Today our students enjoy outstanding clinical teaching facilities with the new Small Animal Hospital, the recently enhanced Weipers Centre and the Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety. To complete our vision for the Campus we have well developed and exciting plans to build a new learning and study centre (the Garscube Learning and Social Space - GLASS) to accommodate our growing student population in a purpose designed high quality environment. With this building we hope to create an aesthetically pleasing space that is ideal for small group teaching as well as group and private study. These initiatives, together with huge on-going infrastructural investment in cancer and virology research, will make the Garscube campus a truly excellent hub for researchers and students to work and study together. It is a well worn observation but the success and reputation of any institution is all about the staff, both past and present. Therefore, it is with much sadness that I note the passing of three former members of staff who gave so much to the School. Professor Bill Jarrett was not only one of the most outstanding scientists in our long history but a hugely influential figure within the profession and beyond. His going begins to close the chapter on an amazing cadre of staff from the 60s and 70s on whom the foundations of the school’s reputation was built. Dr Frank Jennings was an eminent veterinary scientist, and also a key part of the team which developed ‘Dictol’, the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle - a vaccine which was truly world-changing and which really put Glasgow Vet School on the map. At the end of last year we also saw the passing of Professor Andrew Nash, a valued colleague and friend who served the School and the University so long and so well, as an outstanding clinician and teacher, and latterly as Clerk of Senate.
Professor Stuart Reid, our former Dean and Head of School, left at the turn of the year to take up the post of Principal at the Royal Veterinary College, London. I would like to pay tribute to Stuart who led the School with great vision and flair and with whom I enjoyed an excellent working relationship and great comradeship. Since joining the UK Heads of School group I have detected a strong team spirit and a desire to work together for veterinary education and the mutual benefit of all, and I look forward to working closely with Stuart and others on this endeavour. After caretaking the School from the beginning of the year I officially took up my appointment as Head of School on 1 May this year. I was immensely proud to be given this opportunity and to be the current custodian of our great heritage, but also struck by the deep sense of responsibility that accompanies the position. I will endeavour to maintain the high standards set by my distinguished line of predecessors. Looking to the future I believe that there are great opportunities for the School and its students in the years ahead. Of note, next year marks our 150th anniversary since our founding by James McCall in 1862. We have a year of celebrations planned at which I hope many of you will take the opportunity to participate and reflect on our great School.
A fond farewell Professor Stuart Reid, first Head of the Vet School and last Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, took up his new post as Principal of the Royal Veterinary College, London on 1 January 2011. Professor Reid, son of a Glasgow vet and himself a Glasgow alumnus, began his career in 1987 as an assistant veterinary surgeon in Aberdeenshire before joining the University of Glasgow as a Clinical Research Scholar in 1988. Following post doctoral work from 1992 to 1996, Stuart was appointed to the first joint Chair between the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow in 1997, as Professor of Veterinary Informatics and Epidemiology. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2001, he became Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 2004 and was appointed Dean of the Faculty in 2005. Professor Reid said ‘It is with very mixed emotions that I will be leaving Glasgow. The role of Principal at the Royal Veterinary College will be an exciting and challenging job – like Glasgow, the RVC has an international reputation and in recent years Quintin McKellar, also a Glasgow alumnus, has led the organisation to significant success. I look forward to this new position.
However, I have spent the vast majority of my career at Glasgow and the greater part of my life at the University, including my time as a student. Parting is never easy, but it is particularly difficult when one has so many longstanding friends and when one regards the place as home. I recognise that I am enormously privileged to be joining a great College – but I am leaving a great School. I have every confidence that my colleagues in Glasgow will go from strength to strength and I can assure them that Glasgow will have no bigger supporter anywhere than me.’ To mark Stuart’s departure, an event was held in the Bute Hall on 23 December 2010 which afforded friends and colleagues across the University and beyond the opportunity to wish Stuart well in his new post. Despite the appalling weather there was a huge turnout and all present enjoyed entertaining speeches from the Principal Anton Muscatelli, Head of College Professor Anna Dominiczak, Mrs Alison Bruce, Professor Dom Mellor and Mr Rory Gormley, Co-President of GUVMA. Once the formal part of the evening was concluded, guests sat down to haggis, neeps ‘n tatties followed by a ceilidh. It was certainly a fitting send off for the journey South!
Discovering the Vet School The School of Veterinary Medicine has been featured in a ten part series on Animal Planet on the Discovery Channel. The filming took place over three months in the award winning Small Animal Hospital, the Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare and at various local farms including the University’s Cochno Estate. Each episode featured four animal stories, and across the series we met about ten of the vets who work at the School. A broad range of cases were featured including a horse with grass sickness, a cow with a twisted stomach and a dog with a tumour and showcased the world-class facilities and staff that we have at the Vet School. It was compulsive viewing, with audience figures rising steadily each week until it was the second most popular show on the channel – only losing out to Bondi vet!
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Celebrating
Glasgow Vets - 1862-2012
150 years of veterinary excellence
150
years of veterinary excellence Glasgow Vets 1862-2012
Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine. Founded in 1862 by James McCall at Sauchiehall Lane, granted a Royal Warrant in 1863, the College at Buccleuch Street in Garnethill was opened in 1874. The College joined the University as part of the Faculty of Medicine in 1949, becoming part of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences in 2010: The Vet School has a long and rich history of which we should be proud. In 2012 we plan to mark this anniversary with a year long series of events to both honour the past and look forward to ongoing success in the future. We wish to ensure that many sectors of society will be involved in our celebrations and that it should have wide public appeal. Events will be occurring throughout 2012 targeted at the general public, veterinary surgeons and nurses, staff and students, friends and alumni. Integral to this celebration is the writing of a book depicting the Vet School’s history. Funded by the Chancellor’s Fund, Guthrie Trust and the Carnegie Trust, it will be a lasting legacy of the 150th anniversary. The book will encompass details of the School’s development from those early days to the present and, subject to funding, will be designed in parallel with an interactive website using similar materials. Some of the true Glasgow greats, all students or staff of the Vet School, who have enjoyed success in scientific and academic, sporting and public arenas will be given due acknowledgement; Alf Wight (James Herriot), Sir James Black (inventor of beta blockers and Nobel Prize winner), Sir William Weipers (first Dean), Professor Bill Jarrett (FRS) and Angus Carmichael (in Great Britain Olympic football team 1948) to name but a few. The history of veterinary medicine in Glasgow will be told for the interest of our staff, students and alumni, the pet owning public, those in the food animal industry and the general public at large. As part of our year of celebrations we are also planning the following events: • A series of public lectures, the first to be given by Jim Wight, the son of Alf Wight (aka James Herriot), a Glasgow Vet School graduate of 1939. Jim will be officially starting the year of celebrations with a public lecture on 18 January 2012 in the Robertson Trust Lecture Theatre at the Beatson Institute at Garscube campus.
• An exhibition in the community space at the famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow in September and October 2012; this is the most visited museum outside London with over 1 million visitors annually. The exhibition will depict the history, achievements and face of modern veterinary medicine at Glasgow Vet School • ‘Doors Open Day’ (Glasgow’s built heritage festival) – 15-16 September 2012. Our award winning Small Animal Hospital will be open to the general public for tours in what would normally be ‘out of bounds’ areas. • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Veterinary Conference 5-7 October 2012. We see this as an opportunity to highlight Glasgow to veterinary surgeons in practice, industry and academia both nationally and internationally. On Friday 5 October there will be a ‘new horizons programme’ focusing on research past and present at Glasgow Vet School. In the evening will be the McCall Lecture which will be delivered by former Dean and Head of School, Professor Stuart Reid. This will be held in the Bute Hall and will be followed by a reception in the Hunterian Museum. On Saturday 6 October there will be three parallel streams of CPD (small animal, farm animal and equine) plus a commercial exhibition to cater for all aspects of veterinary medicine. In addition, on Sunday 7 October small group interactive ‘hands-on’ modular sessions will take place, again in all three disciplines. Tours will be running to give the opportunity for all to see our Small Animal Hospital, the Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare and the recently opened Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety. There will be a partners’ programme to encourage families to attend. The Vet School exhibition at the Kelvingrove (see above) is timed to co-incide with the conference thus allowing delegates the opportunity to visit it. The highlight of the weekend will be a banquet and ceilidh. This is an ambitious CPD weekend which we hope will be attractive to many. Please put the dates in your diary! Keep an eye on our website and facebook page to be launched in December 2011 for details or for further information about any of the above email Philippa.Yam@glasgow.ac.uk
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Small Animal
New ‘out of hours’ service at the Small Animal Hospital The University of Glasgow, Small Animal Hospital is delighted to launch a new out of hours emergency service which commenced on 12 September 2011. The key goals of this service are to provide high quality, accessible first opinion care for all pets outwith the normal
practice hours and to support local practitioners through provision of an out of hours service with no monthly retainer. In addition, providing an emergency service at the Small Animal Hospital will further improve our undergraduates experience in dealing with emergency patients. Gerard McLauchlan, who has
recently completed his residency in Internal Medicine, will be leading and developing the service. For further information please contact Gerard.Mclauchlan@glasgow.ac.uk or ring +44 (0)141 330 5848.
Wellness Centre opens Physiotherapy and hydrotherapy programmes can be beneficial for pets with a wide range of conditions including joint disease, back and neck pain, soft tissue injuries, sporting and working injuries and following surgery. At the Small Animal Hospital, the ‘Wellness Centre’ now offers a tailored range of programmes for dogs and cats under the supervision of a qualified veterinary physiotherapist.
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Physiotherapy can help reduce pain and promote healing. Furthermore, it helps animals to increase muscle strength, joint flexibility and movement. The Hydrotherapy Unit has proven to be very popular with both animals and owners. The unit provides a buoyant environment for muscles and limbs to be exercised without unnecessary strain.
Swimming can be part of a planned programme pre and post surgery or a fitness regime as part of weight loss management. Cases will be assessed for treatment in the Wellness Centre following referral for a range of conditions, they may be directly referred specifically to the Wellness Centre or they may be brought along directly to the Centre by owners without prior referral.
Radiotherapy Unit up and running Last year the Small Animal Hospital opened its radiotherapy service to complement the existing oncology service which used combinations of surgery and chemotherapy to treat tumours in animals. A Siemens Linear Accelerator, capable of delivering X-ray treatment beams of 6 and 10MV which can reach deep and bulky tumours, and also a range of electron beams for more superficial treatments, was installed in the summer months and the first canine patient was treated in September 2010. Employing Shona Burnside, a therapeutic radiographer trained in human radiotherapy, has greatly facilitated the treatment planning and delivery, and the service is now in full swing. To date, we have used radiotherapy to treat a variety of malignant animal tumours including various oral, nasal, thyroid and brain tumours. We have also treated some skin and soft tissue tumours after surgery, where surgical margins of excision were deemed incomplete by the pathologists.
Although most patients have received definitive treatment several times a week over a four week period to attempt to cure their tumour, others have received a more palliative and less frequent delivery of radiation eg once weekly, to make them more comfortable over a limited time period. Side-effects from treatment, although unavoidable, have usually been mild and associated with the local radiation field only. In a few cases, side-effects were more severe, but fortunately only for a short period of time. In all cases, the owners have been extremely grateful for the treatment given to their pets. Without treatment, some of the animals would otherwise have been euthanased or had to travel long distances for radiotherapy at other centres. The availability of veterinary radiotherapy in Glasgow has given many animals a better chance of longer term survival.
Oncology Service says ‘thank you’ to dedicated clients On Saturday 21 August the Small Animal Hospital Oncology service held its first client open day. The aim of the event was to give clients the opportunity to share experiences and mingle in the new facilities. For many of the owners, it was their first trip to the Small Animal Hospital and it was also an opportunity to meet the oncology team. Over 150 clients and friends attended and Dr Joanna Morris, Head of the Oncology Service, gave a short speech to welcome everyone and to thank them for supporting the service. We were very proud to see such a great turn out, with some clients even travelling down from north of Aberdeen to attend the event! Following afternoon tea (sponsored kindly by Pfizer Animal Health) in our staff social area, clients were invited to have a guided tour to find out what facilities are now on offer in the ÂŁ15M hospital. The tour provided a unique view behind the scenes so owners could gain a better understanding of treatments used in oncology.
Following the tours there was a short presentation which relayed results of an ongoing study looking into health related quality of life for dogs with lymphoma. This talk highlighted the importance of quality of life when treating veterinary oncology patients in the hospital. The open day gave us the welcome opportunity to showcase our new linear accelerator which delivers radiation therapy and can be used in conjunction with our currently well-established services of specialist surgery, chemotherapy and new anticancer therapies including Palladia (Pfizer), Masivet (AB Science) and the melanoma DNA vaccine (Merial). Feedback from clients who attended the event was very positive, and many kind words were left in our visitors book. It is hoped that this will be the start of many similar events in the Small Animal Hospital.
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Farm Animal
The Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety The Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety (SCPAHFS) comprises a group of academics and clinicians oriented towards farm animal medicine and production and veterinary public health. The Centre is based in the Galloway building, which was opened in November 2010. Although many are aware of its existence, not so many are aware of what we actually do in the Centre. Most staff are members of the School of Veterinary Medicine, although there are strong links and collaborative projects with the Moredun Research Institute and with research institutes in Glasgow and further afield. Its objectives include providing the following:
• • • • • •
Undergraduate teaching programme, Residency training programme, Research (basic and applied) to provide an evidence base for policy and practice in production animal and public health, Consultancy services to government and non-government organisations with regulatory or advisory roles, to livestock producers, veterinarians, food business operators and pharmaceutical companies, Clinical veterinary services for veterinarians and farming clients in Scotland and northern England. Knowledge transfer activities for vets, farmers, government and industry.
Staff changes The SCPAHFS has had great success over the last year in producing and exporting professors of animal health. Our two most recent exports are David Barrett, now installed as a Professor of Bovine Medicine, Production and Reproduction at The University of Bristol and Thomas Wittek, about to be despatched to Austria where he will be installed in October as Professor of Ruminant Medicine at the Veterinary University of Vienna. We are very happy for David and Thomas and consider this appropriate recognition for their achievements to date. We have subsequently had considerable support from the School and the College in our efforts to identify suitable successors for David and Thomas with two new lecturerships in production animal health. Mr Tim Geraghty (above left), a Glasgow graduate presently working at University College Dublin, has been appointed as a lecturer in livestock health and will start on 15 November.
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Tim was successful last month in his ECBHM examinations and is now a diplomate of the College. Interviews for the second lectureship are imminent. Since the 2-3 year cycle of training for residents in the specialist European colleges is such an important part of our programme, we have to get used to the regular departure of much-loved residents and interns. This year we have had to wave goodbye to Isabelle Truyers after a very successful residency programme with Northvet in Orkney, funded by Northvet and RCVS. During her programme Izzy was closely involved with the BVDV eradication programme on Orkney, which she has documented recently in the Vet Record. Izzy has moved to The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh to work in the first opinion farm animal practice. Currently we have two residents in approved residency programmes. Valentina Busin works as a resident based partly in the Clyde Veterinary Group at Lanark and partly with us at Garscube.
Valentina is enrolled in the residency programme of the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management and her project on targeted selective treatment for helminth control in sheep is being supervised by Dr Kathryn Ellis at Glasgow and by Prof Neil Sargison of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies with Neil Laing of Clyde Veterinary Group. Our other resident is Lorenzo Viora, who is working towards a European College of Bovine Health Management diploma. Lorenzo’s main areas of interest are dairy cow reproductive health and large dairy management. We have two interns, Margarita Petrenko, from Latvia, and Jessica Gaudy (above), one of this year’s Glasgow graduates from the USA. The Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety Tel: +44 (0)141 330 5739
Cryptobeef Project New vehicle
Our philosophy with clinical teaching of undergraduates is moving towards stronger emphasis on case-based teaching using our teaching referral cases and making use of the extended reach onto farms provided by our residents’ links with neighbouring practices. We aim to have more of our students (and staff) on the road at any one time. We are therefore very happy that the Chancellor’s Fund has awarded us £12,400 for a new vehicle, specifically for use in the provision of ambulatory veterinary services. Our new van should be on the road in a few months.
One of the many new projects to get underway in the last few months is the Cryptobeef project led by Nick Jonsson at the Vet School and Lee Innes, Frank Katzer and Emily Hotchkiss from the Moredun Research Institute, Rachel Chalmers of Public Health Wales and James Green of Scottish Water. The project is supported and funded by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) with additional contributions from Alpharma and Harbro. This project came about as a result of requests for help from farmers in Aberdeenshire as they perceived an increasing problem with cryptosporidiosis. In recent years several vaccines have been introduced to the market to control E coli, rotavirus and coronavirus, but there is no vaccine for cryptosporidiosis. The options for drug treatments against cryptosporidiosis are also limited, with little agreement on the value of the products that farmers can use. Cryptosporidia are very resistant to environmental stress and to disinfection and not much is known about how the disease spreads in populations of cattle. It is not known why some farms have heavy mortalities as a result of infection with the organism while neighbouring properties using similar management strategies do not. We do not really know the effects of bedding management, hygiene and calving management on the disease, although the fact that the parasite is transmitted from faeces to mouth of calves has led to suggestions that hygiene might be an important control strategy. We think that simultaneous infection with rotavirus increases the risk of disease, but do not know whether vaccination with commonly used enteric vaccines has any impact on disease due to cryptosporidiosis. With the participation of four veterinary practices in north-eastern Scotland, 41 farmers have been questioned about their management relating to cryptosporidiosis and its impact on their operation.
The same farmers have also been submitting faecal samples from calves and cows and we have found that most calves are infected at some time and that almost all of the farms are infected whether there is a recognised problem or not. Those farmers who thought that they had a problem with cryptosporidiosis estimated that 22% of their calves had diarrhoea in the previous season and 2.7% of calves died as a result of diarrhoea, in contrast with the farmers who did not think there was a problem (6% of calves with diarrhoea and 1% mortality). When we have our complete set of faecal samples we will carefully examine the proportions of animals in each herd and proportion of herds with animals testing positive for Cryptosporidia and all of the parasites from the faecal and post-mortem samples will be examined genetically to differentiate species and types. We will also be following up with all farmers to get a more accurate indication of losses for this season. This project has attracted good support from industry and local veterinary surgeons and in addition to the operational funds from QMS and Alpharma, MRI, Glasgow and PHW have secured a three year PhD scholarship from the Devolved Governments Levy Bodies to work on the project. This scholarship has just been awarded to Sarah Thomson, a Glasgow MRes (Molec Parasitol) graduate from 2010, who will commence work in October. We also have a summer vacation student, Ross Wilson (BVMS III), working on the project. Ross has been awarded a vacation scholarship by The Wellcome Trust and is wrapping up the data set and starting on a concluding survey for the cooperating farmers on the project.
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Equine
Record year for Weipers Centre 2011 has been another successful year for the Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare with further increases in case load and diversity. Professor Sandy Love, Director of the Equine Hospital reported that ‘June was a record month in a record year; at one point we had surgery and anaesthesia teams performing colic surgery in two operating rooms simultaneously, something that has never happened before. Fortunately recruitment of new staff and investment in equipment means we are ideally set up to deal with these challenges’.
Mark Johnston Racing supports new ‘state of the art’ dynamic endoscope
As many readers will be aware, the University of Glasgow, working in partnership with Glasgow Vet School alumnus and record breaking racehorse trainer Mark Johnston, have long pioneered the use of dynamic endoscopy for the diagnosis of obstructive conditions of the equine upper airway. Working with Mark Johnston, the first dynamic endoscope in the world was obtained and validated by staff at the Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare. Since then over 2000 dynamic evaluations have been performed, largely relegating the use of treadmill endoscopy to research studies.
The Weipers Centre’s Scottish Performance Horse Clinic travels all over Scotland and beyond to diagnose airway disease either on the home premises or at racecourses thus enabling the horse to be examined in the most natural environment possible and hence making diagnosis more likely. Furthermore the system allows horses treated for airway disease to be re-examined easily. Currently vets at the Weipers Centre are evaluating the efficacy of a number of upper airway surgeries in an effort to match the best treatments to individual conditions.
For more information please contact the Scottish Performance Horse Clinic Tel: +44 (0)141 330 5999 Email: equine@vet.gla.ac.uk Web: www.scottishperformancehorseclinic.co.uk
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Since the first dynamic scope was obtained in 2007, Mark Johnston Racing has supported the initiative allowing further research and development of a new system, the most advanced to date. The new version is mounted on a special saddle cloth and includes high definition recording and sound analysis.
Spectacular castration complication … Late one evening in April the ‘on duty team’ at the Vet School’s Weipers Centre received a call that a recently castrated horse from the north of Scotland was on the way having eventrated part of its small intestine through the castration wound. This is a rare but potentially fatal complication of a routine castration and requires prompt emergency treatment. Unfortunately the transport carrying the horse broke down en-route and had to be towed from Stirling delaying the arrival. By the time the horse got to Glasgow he was collapsed and almost two-thirds of the small intestine had escaped and lay on the floor of the broken down lorry. The team anaesthetised the horse in the trailer and used animal rescue techniques to move the animal from the lorry to the operating room. Once anaesthetised, the affected small intestine, nearly 4 meters, was removed to prevent contamination of the abdomen and an anastomosis was performed. The horse made an uneventful recovery and after several days of intensive care by internal medicine specialists was ready to return home none the worse for his ordeal. Surgeon Patrick Pollock said ‘given the degree of compromise to this horse, we were not optimistic when we realised how much intestine was involved. However hard work by all the staff got this horse safely and quickly to surgery and he has done remarkably well’.
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Return to Sambel Kunda, The Gambia Overseas As many of you will have read in the last newsletter, Glasgow University School of Veterinary Medicine has a long association with the small West African country of The Gambia. Indeed, Gambia’s first president, following independence from Britain, was a Glasgow veterinary graduate. The Gambia is one of the smallest countries in Africa, covering an area of around 10,500 square kilometres, with a population of 1.7 million. In this poverty stricken country, subsistence farming utilising working horses and donkeys is extremely important in improving local welfare and the standard of living. Professor Max Murray pioneered work on the control of trypanosomiasis in the cattle population of the country and is still revered locally for this work. More recently David Sutton and Patrick Pollock of the Weipers Centre have been working in conjunction with the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust to investigate a devastating outbreak of an unknown neurological disease which has caused a high mortality rate in the working horses and donkeys of the region. This emerging disease has in turn had profound effects on the local economy, and both animal and human welfare (Newsletter Issue 25, page 17). Work by a large group of scientists at both Glasgow and Liverpool universities have now shown that the neurological disease is developing after infection with a trypanosome in the Trypanosoma brucei/evansi/equiperdum group. The most recent piece in this puzzle, has been the positive identification of Trypanosoma sp. organisms in the brain of affected individuals, using immunohistochemistry. Returning to the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust Headquarters in December, David and Patrick left a snowy Glasgow (-12oC), and after a seven hour flight, short ferry trip and an 8-hour trip by bus arrived in Sambel Kunda (35oC) to a musical welcome by the local school children. Following on from the previous visit, the plan was to establish the prevalence of trypanosomiasis in the area at that time, by examining all the donkeys and horses brought to the annual charity show, and collecting blood samples for both immediate and subsequent evaluation. It was hoped that this would facilitate effective treatment of horses and donkeys attending the show, and also allow construction of an initial treatment and control strategy. As the trickle of arrivals for the annual show turned into a steady stream of children, adults, donkeys and horses, it became clear that the veterinary stand would be kept busy! The veterinary team examined and sampled approximately 150 horses and donkeys. Samples collected were examined as quickly as possible for the presence of trypanosomes in the buffy coat, and red cell and total protein parameters, using a combination of hand cranked centrifuge and solar-powered microscopes.
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Animals confirmed as positive on buffy coat film were sought out and treated during the course of the show. Serum samples and FTA cards were returned subsequently to Glasgow under special licence for further investigation. In among this, Patrick and David managed to deliver a donkey and treat a variety of wounds, infections, colic and dental problems in and around the village. Further cases of neurological disease were also investigated, and post mortem evaluations performed if required. In addition to veterinary work, David judged the stallion class at the show, which comprised 40 stallions in close proximity in a small arena. This keenly fought contest featured some fantastically turned out horses, surveyed by keen locals vociferously voicing their disapproval of the result. Patrick’s judging of the donkey show was somewhat less controversial! The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT) is a registered charity founded by Stella Marsden and her sister Heather Armstrong and was established to alleviate rural poverty by increasing productivity of working horses and donkeys though animal welfare and management education. Many undergraduate and postgraduate vets from Glasgow Vet School have volunteered and visited this unique clinic in West Africa. A healthy working equid has been estimated to increase family farming income by over 500% but requires a substantial investment by households. Currently, due to lack of available funds and little or no animal husbandry education, there is a high level of animal suffering in the area, which the GHDT is combatting effectively with a combination of classroom education and practical husbandry support. Given the small size of the charity it has been tremendously productive and effective at improving the welfare of both the working equidae and the local community around its headquarters at Sambel Kunda. Most recently the GHDT has managed the construction of a 7.5 km road from the village to the river trading post,
crossing swampland. Prior to construction of this road several local people had drowned during the wet season when attempting to reach the river crossing. Before her death, Stella Marsden had proposed to rebuild this road above swamp level, to allow safe passage throughout the year. Inspired by crofter Calum Macleod of Raasay - who single handedly connected his croft to the main road on the island of Raasay (as told in ‘Calum’s Road’) and following discussions with Professor Max Murray, Heather Armstrong undertook the mammoth task of rebuilding the road. The single greatest fundraising event for this included a monumental trans-Saharan motorbike trip from Calum’s Road of Raasay to the new Calum’s road of The Gambia, with an indescribable welcome party for the bikers by the local villagers. The official opening of this road was timed to coincide with the annual show, and David and Patrick were persuaded to swap stethoscopes for instruments. After a number of local speeches, and as recorded on Gambian radio, David kicked off with the violin strathspey ‘Calum’s Road’ before Patrick and pipes led a colourful procession along the new road after the ribbon cutting.
What’s next?
Work continues on the development of a treatment regimen for the horses and donkeys affected by the disease, including potential prophylaxis. Dr Liam Morrison, Infection Immunity and Inflammation Research Fellow, is hoping to characterise the molecular profile of the neurotropic Trypanosome species, and identify possible virulence factors that may have wider relevance to the understanding of sleeping sickness in people. The recent work performed by Glasgow staff has to date been generously supported by the Donkey Sanctuary. Further funding is currently being sought to employ a full time PhD student to investigate this devastating disease and develop and implement effective management strategies.
Trypanosomes within the group T. brucei/evansi/equiperdum infiltrating the brain of a working donkey, which had suffered progressive cerebral deterioration and hindlimb paresis.
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Education
The BVMS programme: into the future From 1862 Glasgow has been a centre of excellence for veterinary education. In the early years graduates of the Glasgow Veterinary School were awarded a Diploma of Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. When the College became part of the University of Glasgow in 1949 the professional degree programme, Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMS) was born. The BVMS has been the launch pad for thousands of successful careers in all branches of veterinary endeavour and because of the broad veterinary training, success in other important arenas. The programme is recognised nationally and internationally both by accrediting bodies and employers for the excellence of its graduates. To remain at the forefront of the education of veterinary professionals the BVMS programme has changed over the years to respond to the evolving requirements of the profession and society. In 1981 the leaders of the BVMS programme set the bench mark for veterinary education creating the ‘lecture free’ final year, signposting the necessity of creating a transition phase for ‘soon to be’ professionals. Knowledge and developing skills were honed within the supportive educational environment that the University can offer before graduating into the professional environment, ready to take up challenges. In the last decade the accrediting bodies (RCVS, AVMA and EAEVE) have changed the ethos of accreditation from asking ‘what do you teach’ to ‘this is what we expect of your graduates’ as they have moved to competency based accreditation of professional programmes. During this period the educational environment and technological understanding of the people we recruit have changed and thus so have our students and their expectations of their professional education. So in a world that is changing how do the current custodians of the BVMS programme keep veterinary education in Glasgow at the top of the field? They listen to what they are being asked for (accreditation criteria) and look to the world outside and ask what do our graduates need to equip themselves to get their career opportunities of choice?
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Looking to the future in December 2009 the School of Veterinary Medicine organised a seminar for BVMS programme managers, professional bodies, present and current students to blueprint the direction for future development of the BVMS programme. Around this time the programme was bench marked against education in North America and Australia, confirming the ambition of the school to offer an internationally relevant degree. Currently, the school is evolving the BVMS programme to continue to provide the optimal educational environment for our graduates to meet the needs of the profession and society into the future. The first step has been to reaffirm the overall programme objective of developing new entrants into entry level professionals over their five years on the BVMS programme. We have looked critically at the teaching in the earlier years of the programme and by rearranging current material and adding some new material, we have created Veterinary Professional and Clinical Skills courses in the first three years to complement the last two clinically orientated years. In this way there is a vertically integrated core of professional development to the educational programme leading to qualification with entry level competencies. The three courses are themed: BVMS 1: working with animals; working with people; working with equipment BVMS 2: Key clinical and professional skills BVMS 3: Preparing to join the clinical team and enter the clinical work place Through these new courses students start focusing on their professional development earlier in the programme, meaning greater preparation for EMS and for that essential transition phase to professional status that is Final Year. However, keeping the BVMS programme at the forefront of veterinary education means the School will continue to look at what it offers and modify the programme accordingly. Our graduates will continue to meet the expectations of our accrediting bodies and the profession and remain highly sought after and thus enabled to take the professional opportunities they desire.
Safer Large Animal Rescue Initiative Thanks to a generous donation from the University of Glasgow’s Chancellor’s Fund, we have purchased ‘Lucky’ the horse, a life-size equine manikin weighing 300kg. We have now integrated rescue training into the undergraduate veterinary curriculum. Working in conjunction with Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service all students are trained in rescue techniques and how to use sedation, anaesthesia and triage to assist in incident management. Last year there were approximately 2000 road traffic incidents involving horse rescue in the UK, plus many more in water, mud and fires and those involving farm animals. A large muddy pit dug behind the equine hospital, and an upturned horse box serve as an ideal training ground for students and fire officers to work safely through a number of rescue scenarios. In addition to student training, the first Scottish rescue course for qualified veterinary surgeons was run in March at the School of Veterinary Medicine.
As well as providing practical training in rescue scenarios, there were lectures on trauma care, anaesthesia and sedation and farm animal and equine viability assessment at rescues. Both the British Equine and Cattle Veterinary Associations are committed to training as many veterinary practitioners as possible so that fire and rescue control rooms can be furnished with a list of suitably trained vets who can assist with large animal rescues across the UK. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and Jim Green of Hampshire Fire and Rescue for their commitment to this important initiative. If you are a mixed, large or equine practitioner and would like to attend a safer large animal rescue course, the next session will run on the 13 and 14 October 2011. For more information or to register, please contact The Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare on +44 (0)141 330 5999, or equine@vet.gla.ac.uk
BeeVMS Visitors to Garscube may have noticed the appearance of three bee hives on the balcony outside the Dumgoyne room. On 8 August 2011 these became home to three colonies of bees together with a second apiary of three colonies at Cochno Farm. This initiative, sponsored by the Chancellor’s Fund, introduces bee husbandry and medicine to the BVMS undergraduate programme and represents an important research, teaching and commercial opportunity for the School. Bees are of increasing veterinary interest due to the emergence of a number of infectious and parasitic bee diseases and their importance as a production species. 13
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Research
Sunny side up for Demetra Congratulations to Miss Demetra Lund who was announced the winner of the Presidents Prize at the UK branch World Poultry Science Association annual meeting in Nottingham for best original communication by an undergraduate/ postgraduate for her presentation entitled ‘Assessing the repeatability of a measurement of vitelline membrane strength in a white egg laying pedigree population’. Demetra is currently in her 3rd year on the BSc Veterinary Biosciences programme at the School of Veterinary Medicine and carried out this study during a six week placement with Dr Maureen Bain last summer.
Stuart Kerr is overall winner Stuart Kerr was awarded the Connect Bursary Award for his project which monitored the progression of trypanosomiasis in the central nervous system and its relation to relapse of the parasitaemia. Trypanosomiasis represents a major threat to human life and animal health and productivity. The disease has been quoted to cause the death of three million cattle per year and economic losses in cattle production are in the range of $1.0 to $1.2 billion. Stuart tested the hypothesis that administering drugs which fail to cross the blood brain barrier will result in the relapse of the subject to parasitaemia and this relapse is related to the load of the trypanosome within the CNS. If correct, this hypothesis would indicate the necessity for prophylactic use of the available trypanocidal drugs.
Chancellor’s Fund supports the Vet School The Chancellor’s Fund was established in 1999 with the overall aim of attracting a source of unrestricted income for the University. Donations to the Chancellor’s Fund are directed to projects where the need is greatest, often bringing immediate benefit to students. To date more than 280 projects have been supported representing many disciplines including a wide variety of projects at the School of Veterinary Medicine. Recently funds have been awarded to the Vet School to allow a research assistant, Julie Kennedy time to research and write a book describing the history of the School.
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This is most timely in view of our imminent 150th anniversary in 2012. In early 2010 the body of a lioness was brought to the School from Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling for a post mortem. After the examination, members of staff suggested restoring the skeleton as an exciting summer project for students. Several undergraduates showed a keen interest in being involved and an application to the Chancellor’s Fund was made.
The Board awarded funds towards the initiative and the student team completed the project in August 2010. Other projects have included; a sensor based motion analysis system for the detection and teaching of equine lameness, and funding to set up commercial bee colonies and ‘Lucky the Horse’, a lifesize manikin used for training students and the fire brigade about emergency situations affecting large animals.
Professor Julie Fitzpatrick appointed to Food Security post Professor Julie Fitzpatrick has been appointed to the post of Professor of Food Security within the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University. Professor Fitzpatrick will combine this new role with her existing role as Scientific Director of Moredun Research Institute and CEO of the Moredun Group. The appointment presents a unique opportunity for Scotland to lead the way in research and deliver solutions to help tackle the global issue of food security by developing a collaborative framework for future work together. Food security is becoming an increasingly important focus for the world’s governments and scientists and through our partnership with the Moredun, the University aims to play a leading role in addressing this crucial issue. The renowned expertise of the Moredun Research Institute in improving livestock welfare and production efficiency through providing solutions to control infectious disease will be complemented with expertise of Glasgow staff focussing on research of relevance to food security worldwide. This will enable real impact to be made to ensure safe and sustainable food supplies in the future.
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New appointments
Andy Bell Andy qualified from the University of Glasgow in 2004 and spent two years working in mixed practice in Dumfriesshire. He returned to Glasgow in 2006 as a Resident in Veterinary Anaesthesia. He holds both the RCVS certificate and European diploma in veterinary anaesthesia and is a recognised European specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia. Andy was appointed as a University Clinician in September 2010. His interests include loco-regional anaesthetic techniques, alpha-2 agonists and the assessment and treatment of pain in small animals.
Shona Burnside Shona qualified as a Therapy Radiographer from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh in September 2006 and started working at the Beatson Oncology Centre at Gartnavel in December 2006. During her time at the Beatson she had the opportunity to do an 18 month secondment in the physics treatment planning department which she really enjoyed. She also got the chance to do an MSc in radiotherapy which she completed in September 2010. She started working at the Small Animal Hospital in August 2010 and has enjoyed the opportunity to transfer the skills she has learned from human radiotherapy to animal radiotherapy.
Donna Carver Donna qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1993 whilst working in a busy small animal practice. She then took up the position of head nurse and gained the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (Surgical) in 1998. In 2000 Donna joined the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies as a surgical veterinary nurse. From 2002 she was employed as an emergency and critical care nurse, and also studied full time at the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh for a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy, graduated in 2009, becoming a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Donna then returned to the R(D)SVS in 2009 as an animal physiotherapist / veterinary nurse. Donna is now part of the Pain and Rehabilitation service at Glasgow Vet School providing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to small animals. She also has a special interest in neurology.
Melanie Grant Melanie qualified as a chartered physiotherapist from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2006 and is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. She worked as a specialist in human physiotherapy for four years before completing a Masters of Science in Veterinary Physiotherapy at the Royal Veterinary College, London. Melanie is a Category A member of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy. She has recently joined the Vet School and uses physiotherapy and hydrotherapy in order to rehabilitate both large and small animals.
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Allison Haley Allison Haley joined the University of Glasgow as a Clinician in Neurology, after completing her Neurology Residency at the University of Georgia, in Athens, Georgia. Prior to her residency, she completed a rotating small animal internship at a private practice in Washington, DC and a neurology internship at a private specialty practice in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Tufts University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. Her clinical interests include neuromuscular disorders, neuro-oncology and head trauma. She has a beautiful Golden Retriever, Maddigan, and a polydactyl cat, Thumbs.
Angela McAllister Angela graduated from Glasgow in 1994 and spent 18 months as an assistant in a mixed practice. She then spent five years working as a locum in mixed and small animal practice before being lured back to being an assistant for a job in a multi-specialist hospital practice where she also became an NVQ assessor and nurse manager. Angela left that position to study for an MA in Business Management, taking a job in a more local small animal practice to allow part-time study. Having obtained her postgraduate diploma she has now been appointed as University Clinician in First Opinion Practice at the Vet School.
Gerard McLauchlan After graduating from University of Glasgow in July 2006, Gerard undertook a one year rotating internship at Davies Veterinary Specialists near London. Following a short time in first opinion practice Gerard returned to Glasgow in March 2008 to begin a Residency in Internal Medicine and Oncology which he completed in August 2011. He was then appointed University Clinician in Small Animal Emergency Medicine and is in charge of the new emergency service. Gerard is sitting the certifying examination of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in September 2011 having passed the general examination in 2010.
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William Marshall William graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2005. He completed two one-year internships in the USA, the first at an emergency practice in Raleigh, North Carolina and the second at a surgical referral practice in south Florida. He returned to the University of Glasgow in 2007 and spent one year as a research assistant on a project that examined the relationship between obesity and osteoarthritis in dogs. He has completed a European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS) Residency in the Small Animal Hospital, and was recently promoted to University Clinician in Small Animal Orthopaedic Surgery. He is planning to sit his ECVS board examination next year and is interested in all aspects of orthopaedic surgery.
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Deaths
Frank Jennings
s with great sadness at we report the death of Frank Jennings.
most of the laboratory studies and made many of the major developments which led to Glasgow Jennings was an eminent Vet School becoming a terinary scientist, and a centre of excellence in y part of the team which trypanosome research. His veloped ‘Dictol’, the first ideas and findings were later mmercial vaccine for a extrapolated to research in rasitic disease in cattle The Gambia and East Africa vaccine which was truly by the Glasgow team. His rld-changing and which development of a mouse ally put Glasgow Vet School model of human sleeping Andrew was an outstanding clinician and the map. He later played sickness is used across the teacher who specialised in small animal major role in Glasgow’s world. internal diseases. His research was rk on bovine helminthiasis clinically oriented and aimed at improving d the development of the Frank was welcoming, asma pepsinogen test. considerate and friendly. the welfare of his patients of whom he He had a keen sense of spoke with great affection. ofessor Peter Holmes humour – fun and laughter ted, ‘Frank always had were all part of the workingHe had an amazing ability to communicate academic science, making me to help his younger day and he was always great it relevant to everyday situations in lleagues and I know company’. veterinary practice. He spoke at many at over the years there re large numbers of Dr Jennings was Senior conferences at home and abroad. D students who still owe Lecturer in Experimental ank an enormous debt of Veterinary Science from He was also Honorary President of the atitude. 1966 until 1975 when he Scottish Cat Club from 1990 until 1999 moved to the Vet School’sand was on the board of the SSPCA. ter on when the veterinary Pathology Department and From 2002 to 2008 Andrew served as rasitology group in became a lecturer there. In asgow Vet School became 1986 he became a ReaderClerk of Senate and as Vice Principal creasingly interested in in Veterinary Parasitology, (Learning and Teaching) from 2002 to panosomiasis, it was before retiring from the 2004. He was Pro-Vice Principal from 2008 until his retiral in September 2009. ank who undertook University in 1996. He made a tremendous contribution It is with great sadness that we report to the University where his exemplary that Professor Andrew Nash, Emeritus dedication and integrity earned him Professor of Veterinary Medicine and widespread respect and admiration. former Clerk of Senate at the University of Glasgow, passed away in the early hours A memorial concert was held in the of Tuesday 2 November aged 66. University Chapel on Friday 3 June 2011 and many of the works performed were After graduating BVMS in 1967 with the of particular significance to Andrew medal for veterinary clinical medicine, both personally and in his work at the Andrew worked in general practice in University. Donations received at the Ilfracombe for five years before returning conclusion of the concert were split to the University of Glasgow as house between the Chapel Choir and the Small physician. He was steadily promoted, Animal Hospital, both causes dear to gaining his PhD in 1984 and was Andrew’s heart. appointed a Professor in Small Animal Veterinary Medicine in 1992. He worked Andrew is survived by his wife, tirelessly in the successful campaign Rosemary, two children, Graham and against the closure of the Veterinary Heather, and six grandchildren. School in 1988.
Andrew Nash
Bill Jarrett It is with great sadness that we report the death of Professor Bill Jarrett. Bill was Professor of Veterinary Pathology from 1968 until 1990. In 2002 he was awarded the honorary degree of DVMS. He studied at the Glasgow Veterinary College, qualifying MRCVS with honours in 1949 and at the University, graduating PhD in 1955. He was a research student for three years before his appointment as a Lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Pathology in 1952. He was Head of Hospital Pathology at the department from 1953 until 1961 and then a Reader in Pathology from 1962 to 1965, went on secondment for a year to the University of East Africa and then returned to Glasgow as titular Professor of Experimental Veterinary Medicine. His research interests lay in the fields of tumours, viruses, leukemia and immunology. The work of Bill and his team on feline leukaemia virus in the 1960s was truly outstanding and was the foundation for many subsequent studies on oncogenes and retroviral diseases of both man and animals. Bill died, peacefully, on Saturday 27 August 2011 in the company of his daughters Freda and Ruth, and his brother Os, on a lovely sunny evening overlooking the Firth of Clyde that he and his wife Anna loved so much. The end of an era.
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Frank Jennings It is with great sadness that we report the death of Dr Frank Jennings. Dr Jennings was an eminent veterinary scientist, and a key part of the team which developed ‘Dictol’, the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle - a vaccine which was truly world-changing and which really put Glasgow Vet School on the map. He later played a major role in Glasgow’s work on bovine helminthiasis and the development of the plasma pepsinogen test. Professor Peter Holmes noted, ‘Frank always had time to help his younger colleagues and I know that over the years there were large numbers of PhD students who still owe Frank an enormous debt of gratitude. Later on when the veterinary parasitology group in Glasgow Vet School became increasingly interested in trypanosomiasis, it was Frank who undertook
most of the laboratory studies and made many of the major developments which led to Glasgow Vet School becoming a centre of excellence in trypanosome research. His ideas and findings were later extrapolated to research in The Gambia and East Africa by the Glasgow team. His development of a mouse model of human sleeping sickness is used across the world. Frank was welcoming, considerate and friendly. He had a keen sense of humour – fun and laughter were all part of the working day and he was always great company’. Dr Jennings was Senior Lecturer in Experimental Veterinary Science from 1966 until 1975 when he moved to the Vet School’s Pathology Department and became a lecturer there. In 1986 he became a Reader in Veterinary Parasitology, before retiring from the University in 1996.
Theresa Anderson We are extremely sad to report that Mrs Theresa Anderson (nee McCall), granddaughter of James McCall, the founder and first Principal of the Glasgow Veterinary College, died on 1 May 2011. Mrs Anderson travelled to Glasgow from her home in Ceredigion, Wales for the inaugural Professor James McCall Memorial Lecture in 2008, and noted some of the highlights of her visit included the tour of the Weipers Centre and meeting the students at the reception following the Lecture. Our condolences go to her family and friends.
Elisabeth Svendsen Dr Elisabeth Svendsen MBE, founder of the world famous Donkey Sanctuary, sadly passed away suddenly on 11 May 2011 after suffering a severe stroke. Dr Svendsen received an Honorary Degree from the University of Glasgow in 1992. The University of Glasgow Veterinary School has played a large part in enabling the charity to help donkeys and mules throughout the world. The Donkey Sanctuary has been able to liaise with, and has been supported and encouraged by the University as it has grown into the International Donkey Protection Trust. Back in the early 70s, donkeys were not popular with the horse fraternity as they were considered to be the possible source of lungworm. In 1976 a trial was done with Hilary Clayton from the University of Glasgow Veterinary School and the ongoing far-reaching work on parasites was started. This link with the University of Glasgow Veterinary School expanded into working abroad, where over 56 million donkeys toil, and as a result the International Donkey Protection Trust was formed which sees vets from the Sanctuary working in Egypt, India, Kenya and Ethiopia. Betty was a huge fan of Glasgow and developed a very special relationship with the School and many of its staff members.
Deaths It is with great regret that we note the deaths of the following alumni and extend our sympathies to all their families and friends: Peter Robb Macfarlane Brown (1953) Derek Hair (1949) Ian Clark Haresnape (1955) Neville John Harrison (1949) Thomas Jarvie (1949)
John William MacAulay (1933) Andrew McDonald (1945) George Noel Mowat (1950) John George Ross (1952) Donald Jarrett Tattersall (1952)
Ian David McVicar (1981) James Pinkerton Warnock (1956) Roy Muir Peacock (1965) William Fleming Hoggan Jarrett (1949) 19
Leavers David Barrett David Barrett left the School at the end of March to take up the post of Professor of Bovine Medicine, Production and Reproduction at the University of Bristol. David was a member of the farm animal group for 17½ ‘very happy’ years, and latterly served as Director of Cochno Farm and Research Centre and Deputy Associate Head of School (Learning and Teaching).
At his leaving presentation David noted that although he was very sad to be leaving, he had forged lifelong friendships at Glasgow and would take with him many wonderful memories, saying ‘...my time here became far more than a job and has shaped my life, past, present and future!’ We wish him every success.
Kenny Boswell Kenny Boswell, mail man ‘extraordinaire’, retired from the University on Monday 28 February 2011. Kenny commenced his employment at the University in June 1976 as a Security Patrolman at Garscube campus. He spent a brief spell at Gilmorehill campus in 1993, before transferring to the mail room at Garscube campus in February 1994.
Although Kenny ‘didn’t want any fuss’, he agreed that we could organise an informal ‘tea party’ in the Lomond Room at the Vet School to mark his departure and thus enable colleagues from both Garscube and Gilmorehill to gather to wish him well for the future.
Choice Moves A number of colleagues across the School took advantage of the University’s Voluntary Severance/Early Retirement Scheme this year. On behalf of staff across the School and Institutes in the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Professor Ewan Cameron, Head of School, presented gifts to Maureen McGovern (Library), Maureen McNulty (Student Support), Val Small (CPD Unit) and Raymond McDonald (Small Animal Hospital) at an informal gathering in the Resource Centre on Friday 29 July 2011. Karyn Thompson, Colin Wilson and Christina McLaughlin (College Facilities Team) had been unable to attend this presentation, but were delighted to return after their respective holidays when colleagues re-convened to wish them well. Lizzie Gault (Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation) was unable to join in the festivities but had enjoyed a ‘curry night’ with friends and colleagues the previous week. Pat Toner (Large Animal Clinical Studies and Public Health) had planned to slip away quietly with ‘no fuss’, but was surprised earlier in the day by an impromptu presentation by colleagues in a sunny corner outside the Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health & Food Safety – just before he made a quick getaway. We wish all of them health and happiness in their ‘retirement’! 20
Events Royal Highland Show Once again the School was present at this years Royal Highland Show , ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. The show attracted over 180,000 visitors between 23 and 26 June 2011. It allowed us to build on last year’s efforts and our relationship with a number of partners who were also exhibiting. It also provided the opportunity for visitors of all ages to meet the University of Glasgow team, to showcase our School and to interact with visitors from the UK and beyond.
My Very Important Day At The Vet School At the Royal Highland Show, as you probably already know, there was a competition being held, and the winner would get a whole day at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow. Surprisingly, I, Anita Robinson had won it! Finally Wednesday the 17th had come and I was extremely excited, I had no idea what to expect! But I knew that it was going to be GREAT! We went to the Small Animal Hospital first, when we got inside the Hospital, I saw a beautiful architectural room and was not surprised to see the other rooms were just as good! First we got to see things that the public are not usually allowed to see like cool technology and equipment. I even got to see a cat being operated on by camera!!! We got to see ill cats and dogs too, that was a bit sad. I was guided around by this lovely very helpful lady……… Paula Sharp!! I had a great time there! Next we went to the Equine department and Wesley, kindly showed us around. We got to put on some awesome plastic shoes and got to go into the operating theatre which was awesome! There was a horse lift with a hook that moved the horse for operations.
Then finally … we got to see real horses that were ill, they had a thing for the intravenous injections in their necks. We also had to watch our heads as swallows were flying everywhere! I had a great time there too! After that we went to the Large Animal Department. We then met Jess, who was a lovely lady too! We went to put on our wellies and then we went up to this room where you clean your wellies with this awesome scrubber/hose thing which had water coming through the middle! We disinfected our wellies and went into the shed where the cows and sheep were. Jess asked me to think of names for all the sheep and cows!!! For me this was a great pleasure! I think I named all of them but my favourite was the calf that I wanted to name Sampson! A few minutes later I got to listen to his mother’s heart, lung and stomach beat and rumble; it was very interesting and I got to do the same with Sampson!!! Finally after all these exiting happenings, we sat down to a lovely meal where we got sandwiches and drinks and relaxed… I had a great time there thank you very much to: Paula, Caroline, Wesley and Jess I don’t think it could have been better so thanks again……… Anita Robinson Written by Anita Robinson Age:11
We saw where they trot them up and down the long hallway so they can find where their lameness is and why.
Drymen Show The School, in the shape of Elfie (the rear end of the horse!), Patrick Pollock, David Sutton, Mary Gatherer and Caroline Hutchinson, were out in support of the Strathendrick Agricultural Society and the Drymen Show in May this year. There was a good deal of mud and rain to deal with but a great day was had, despite the weather, by exhibitors and spectators alike.
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Alumni
Glasgow Vet College Reunion On Friday 6 May 2011 the Vet School were delighted to welcome back some of our Glasgow Vet College graduates who had graduated almost a year ago on 28 June 2010, after 50 years or more since qualifying, with a BVMS degree from the University of Glasgow.
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The graduates were invited to a celebration lunch at the Small Animal Hospital hosted by Professor Ewan Cameron and Sir James Armour. The lunch was followed by tours of the Small Animal Hospital, Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare and the Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety.
The 0’s and 5’s reunite In 2010 we welcomed around 180 of our graduates to our Annual Reunion Dinner for year groups ending ‘0’ and ‘5’. During the day the year groups were given a tour of the new facilities at the Vet School. In the evening followed a drinks reception in the Hunterian Museum before a banquet and ceilidh in the Bute Hall. Good fun was had by all. In 2011 we look forward to welcoming back graduates from year groups ending ‘1’ and ‘6’ on 29 October 2011. For more details please contact Sarah Hunter, Development & Alumni Officer for the School of Veterinary Medicine. Sarah can be contacted at +44 (0) 141 330 7145 or by email at Sarah.Hunter@glasgow.ac.uk.
BVMS 1961 Reunion
David Miller, helped to organise a reunion at the University to mark the BVMS 1961 50th anniversary. The three day programme included participation in the University’s Commemoration Day lunch in the Hunter Halls at the Gilmorehill Campus. The following day a visit was paid to the Garscube campus to see the Small Animal Hospital, the Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare and the Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety. These events led to warm tributes being paid to the hard work and dedicated support to the Development and Alumni Office and the staff and students at Garscube. The visitor group were truly delighted with their tour of Garscube and the evident dramatic developments over recent years. A black tie celebration dinner was held at the Grosvenor Hilton Hotel. This prompted a comment from one of the participants that ‘the formal dinner was great and it was amazing how we all fitted in together, just like the old times’.
Alison Laurie is ‘vet of the year’ On Thursday 31 April 2011 Alison was awarded the Pet Plan Vet of the Year award and is the first female vet to receive this prestigious award. Alison is a 1983 University of Glasgow Vet School graduate currently working as the Clinical Manager at Crown Vets, Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.
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Student News EMS activity abroad Many of our students take the opportunity to travel the world to make the most of extra-mural studies. Robert Huang, was fortunate enough to spend the summer in India. He writes,‘It is often quite challenging for a 3rd year veterinary student to decide what to do with extra-mural studies. Where should the time be best spent? This summer I decided to go to Pune, India upon the recommendation by a friend. The Blue Cross Society there has adopted a unique surgical procedure to perform mass sterilisation efficiently and safely. Since its inception in 1995, Blue Cross has sterilised over 40,000 stray dogs, dramatically reducing rabies death. I got to see their sterilisation technique, which was to embed the sutures in the fascial layer and glue the epidermis together, such that a neutered stray could then be released on the same day as surgery. In addition to the sterilisation programme, Blue Cross also established a hospital in 2002, providing basic medical treatment for injured animals, including donkeys, cattle and horses.
Furthermore, the charity hosts adoption camps from time to time, cooperating with other charitable organisations such as ResQ.’ If you would like to know more about Blue Cross, please visit its website at http://www.bluecrosssocietypune.org. To show your support, you can donate at +91 020 652 66491.
ACE GUVMA Fundraiser Patrick Pollock, Veterinary Director of Animal Care in Egypt (ACE) and Senior Lecturer in Equine Surgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine was delighted to accept a cheque on behalf of ACE for £1000 raised by GUVMA at a recent race night in the GUVMA Hut. In recent years a number of students and staff have spent time at the ACE clinic in Luxor which provides veterinary care to over 100 working horses, donkeys and mules per day. ACE particularly needs help at this time due to the ongoing political unrest in Egypt which has led to increased poverty for the human population and had a knock on effect on the welfare of their hard working animals. Speaking on behalf of ACE, Patrick said that the support of the Veterinary School, both financially and through the many staff and student volunteers who visit ACE each year, was critical in improving the welfare of working equids.
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Clever 1st Years Our 1st year students raised £69 for Children in Need this year. A quiz was run in the anatomy class which was won by Tim Hull and Brandon Cohen. Well done!
Talented Chef wins award Our very own Gina Diver, Chef de Partie at the Food Farm at Garscube, gained 1st in Class, Chef at Salon in the 28th Scottish Culinary Championships Scotland 2011. Well done Gina; we all love your food!
Mount Kilimanjaro climb for Small Animal Hospital Many clients of the Small Animal Hospital like to repay their gratitude to hospital staff for the care and attention their pet has received. They do this by a variety of means including donations, or organising or participating in fundraising events. One such fundraising feat was undertaken by Lawrence Morison, who chose to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in July 2011 to mark his 60th birthday and to date has raised over £3,000 towards the Small Animal Hospital.
Lawrence told us, ‘Bertie was a very special dog who unfortunately developed an incurable illness when only 9 years old and he passed away 18 months later. He made an impression on everyone he met. During his short life I had to seek help and the Small Animal Hospital staff were wonderful with both him and me. That is why I wanted to raise money for them to benefit other animals and as a lasting memory of Bertie.’
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Thanks to all our donors Thanks to all our donors who have given gifts to the Vet Fund from 15 May 2010 to 30 June 2011. In addition to those listed below, there are a number of donors whose gifts are awaiting confirmation of naming, or who have chosen to remain anonymous
Small Animal Hospital Major Gift •
Class of 1970
Platinum Gift •
Douglas and Sheila Fountain
Gold Gift • • • • •
2010 GUVMA Rodeo Committee In memory of James & Margaret Quinn From Christine Preston in memory of George G Lawson Mambo Vestey One anonymous donor
Silver Gift • • • • • • • • • • •
Isla Beths In memory of Bramble and for Pippin, Chow Chows Rose A Galt The Susan H Guy Charitable Trust Dr Katherine M Harvey Peter and Ruth Holmes Allan W McTaggart BVMS The Scottish Cat Club Jacqueline E Smith Susan M Taylor Two anonymous donors
Bronze Gift • • • • • • • • • • •
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The Edinburgh Society of Glasgow University Graduates Michael T Heald Eddie ‘The Star’ Hughes. Thank you all at the best Small Animal Hospital in the world Angus Mackay MRCVS In loving memory of Dick McElroy In memory of Meg & Mika, both were ‘taken’ from us so suddenly The Estate of Williamina Park Kenneth J Renfrew Peter B Robinson Dorothy Thomas Laura A Wilcock BVMS
Noted Gift • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Michelle Barclay BVMS Alison M Barr Marilyn R B Bell Lynn Benson Arlene B Brown Jeri Burgess, for Kandi and Sacha Douglas Care Kate W Craik John N Drummond In memory of Fern our German Shorthaired Pointer (2007-2010) - truly our pride and joy - never to be forgotten and always in our hearts forever Helka I Harju Rebecca C Haugen BVMS Cari, the Jack Russell Ian G Kerr Morag, Jim and Jamie Lang Jacqueline A Leavitt Dr Alexander M Mathewson Rosemary C McCusker Basil McElhinney Finlay McIntosh Aileen McKay Michael G Munro Bill Petheram - 1970 Year Group Ruaridh Booton Estelle ( Abi ), a GSP with personality plus, much loved, and sadly missed by all who knew her Joanne L Simpson Dr Lillious M Taylor ‘With gratitude from the Thallon family, in memory of Zebe’ Gregor J Van der Boon Commemorating those students attending Glasgow Vet College in the 1940s & 1950s who graduated BVMS in June 2010
Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety Pace setting • Ian Galloway CBE, Scotbeef Ltd
Major Gift • The Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland • Mrs Isobel M Reid in memory of her late husband Bill Reid BVMS MRCVS
Silver Gift • Patricia A Logue BVMS MRCVS
Noted Gift • One anonymous donor
Weipers Centre for Equine Welfare Noted Gift • In memory of Andonte
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Dates for diary CPD forthcoming courses October – November 2011 Diagnosing and Treating the most Common Cancers in SA Practice – a case based step by step guide Wednesday 5 October 2011 Fee: £225.00 (VAT exempt) Key Speakers: Jenny Helm BVMS CertSAM; Kathryn M Pratschke MVB MVM CertSAS DipECVS MRCVS Dr Jo Morris BSc BVSc PhD DipECVIM-CA ONC FRCVS Rescue and Emergency Medicine Training for Large Animal and Equine Vets Thursday 13 and Friday 14 October 2011 Fee: £500.00 BEVA/BCVA Members; £625.00 non-BEVA/BCVA Members (VAT exempt) Key Speakers: Patrick Pollock BVMS, CertES (Soft Tissue), DipECVS, MRCVS Jim Green, Watch Manager & Animal Rescue Specialist, Hampshire Fire & Rescue
Chronic Pain – A Necessary Evil? Wednesday 19 October 2011 Discounted Fee £170.00 Vets £75.00 Nurses (VAT exempt) Key Speaker: Samantha Lindley BVSc MRCVS Behaviour and Chronic Pain Specialist Ultrasound in Small Animal Practice – Intermediate Level Wednesday 26 October 2011 Fee: £300.00 (VAT exempt) Key Speakers: Gawain Hammond MA VetMB MBM CertVDI DIpECVDI FHEA MRCVS European Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging Dermatology: The Language of Skin Wednesday 30 November 2011 Fee: £225.00 (VAT exempt) Hilary Jackson
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Celebrations 2012 Jim Wight Public Lecture John Robertson Trust Lecture Theatre Wednesday 18 January 2012 BSAVA Alumni ‘get together’ The Malt House, Birmingham Friday 13 April 2012 Doors Open Day Small Animal Hospital Saturday 15 September 2012 (tbc) Exhibition Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum September - November (tbc) 150 celebratory CPD weekend 5-7 October 2012
Course fees include: course notes, morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea.
McCall Lecture Bute Hall Friday 5 October 2012
Further information on the above courses at Web: www.glasgow.ac.uk/vet/cpd Tel: +44 (0)141 330 4995.
150 celebratory banquet and ceilidh University of Glasgow Saturday 6 October 2012
Sir William Weipers Memorial Lecture Friday 28 October 2011 The School of Veterinary Medicine is delighted to invite you to join us for the 25th Sir William Weipers Memorial Lecture on Friday 28 October 2011 in the Sir Charles Wilson Lecture Theatre. The lecture, ‘Husbandry regained: futures for animals in agriculture’, will be delivered by Professor John Webster, a veterinary graduate from the University of Cambridge and now Professor Emeritus at the University of Bristol.
Professor Webster will present strategies for the future husbandry of farm animals that combine respect for the principles of economics and efficiency with respect for the welfare of the animals and the living environment. For further information on attending the lecture, please contact Mrs Caroline Hutchinson: telephone +44 (0)141 330 5704 Caroline.Hutchinson@glasgow.ac.uk.
Photographs taken or supplied by University of Glasgow staff and students. Editor: Philippa Yam Deputy Editor: Caroline Hutchinson School of Veterinary Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow 464 Bearsden Rd Glasgow G61 1QH www.glasgow.ac.uk/schools/vet/ © University of Glasgow 2011 Design: MVLS Graphic Support Unit, University of Glasgow www.glasgow.ac.uk/gsu The University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401