A ‘Day in the Life’ of a
VLA Veterinary Surgeon
VLA’s network of Regional Laboratories is the mainstay of our scanning surveillance function by which intelligence is gathered on trends in the health and welfare of farmed livestock.
Through this surveillance, new or emerging diseases which may be a hazard to animal or public health are detected.
The veterinary work at Regional Laboratories is broadly divided into two areas. Firstly and predominantly, the scanning surveillance, which involves providing a diagnostic service to private veterinary surgeons, carrying out post mortem examinations and undertaking disease investigations. Secondly, providing veterinary support to targeted surveillance projects concerned with the investigation and control of particular diseases or conditions.
The variety of species, disease syndromes and ongoing projects means that there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’ for a VLA veterinary investigation officer. However, two of our vets, one based in Thirsk and the other in Carmarthen, give an insight into a ‘day in the life of a VLA vet’.
| Thirsk |
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The Regional Laboratory in Thirsk covers a very large area that encompasses a true mixture of farming practices and species, from intensive lowland pig farming to marginal hill sheep farming and this is reflected in our diagnostic casework, which underpins our scanning surveillance role.
The cattle and sheep investigations tend to be seasonal with calf pneumonia keeping us busy over autumn and winter, whereas lambing associated problems demand our time in spring and early summer. The pig work is fairly constant throughout the year due to the highly intensive and controlled management systems practised.
A high-density of pigs in the area means we are involved in a lot of targeted salmonella investigations. In particular, we are heavily involved in the zoonosis action plan (ZAP) for salmonella control, jointly sponsored by Defra and the pig industry. This involves farm visits and extensive sample collection from pig units.
We are also heavily involved in assessing and managing risks to food safety. Cases of botulism, lead poisoning and copper poisoning are regularly encountered and investigations are undertaken to identify the source of the problem and to ensure that affected livestock do not enter the food chain until safe to do so.
Our public health role may also include involvement with local incident control teams and with public health colleagues from the Health Protection Agency and Environmental Health Officers from the local authority. Emergencies such as a large E.coli outbreak in children linked to an open farm, or a case of human leptospirosis associated with exposure to domestic rats can occur at any time and require immediate support to study the epidemiology and prevent further spread of disease.
| Carmarthen |
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VLA Carmarthen, in picturesque southwest Wales, is in an area where sheep and cattle (dairy and beef) are the predominant farmed livestock. However, submissions of poultry, usually from backyard flocks or from larger, often organic flocks are occasionally received. The pig population of Wales is very small, but recently we have received a couple of submissions from small producers, which may be evidence of local diversification.
The day begins dealing with the postal submissions sent in from private veterinary practices. These may be faeces, milk or blood samples. Most vets stipulate the specific tests they require, but some may seek advice as to the best course of action, given the clinical signs and farm history. Regular conversations with the private veterinary surgeons on clinical cases, is a very important part of our work and often forms part of the wider surveillance of animal diseases in our area.
Carcases submitted directly to the laboratory are the responsibility of the vet on duty that day. The number of carcases received varies from day to day but a farmer will usually arrive with his animal which enables the vet to take a detailed history before carrying out a post-mortem examination. Once the carcase is examined, samples are taken, tests allocated, the diagnostic findings recorded and a detailed report prepared.
Carcases are also examined as part of our targeted surveillance function. For example, the State Veterinary Service frequently bring in sheep carcases from suspect scrapie cases. Samples are taken by following a set protocol that allows scrapie to be diagnosed or excluded and tissues retained that may be used in research projects.
Our surveillance work is not confined to farmed livestock. In previous years, we have monitored small numbers of wild birds for West Nile Virus, a viral disease which is not believed to have entered the UK.
This year we have seen a significant increase in the number of submissions of wild birds as we have responded to the need for increased surveillance for avian influenza. Again, samples are collected following a set protocol and results are collated with those from other VLA Regional Laboratories to provide a national surveillance picture.
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