Alcohol-based rubs should be the preferred method of hand preparation for vets

The New Zealand Veterinary Journal has recently published an excellent review article, written by Kat Crosse and funded by HPNZ, on pre-surgical hand preparation in veterinary practice. The conclusion was clear: alcohol-based rubs are effective in eliminating transient flora, reducing resident flora, safe for repeated use, have high compliance with appropriate training, can be used in or out of clinic facilities, are cost effective and water saving. Even if an alcohol-based rub is only as effective as traditional scrubbing in terms of bacterial load reduction, the other benefits should be enough to sway our practice in favour of their preferred use.

No evidence that Fel-O-Vax prevents FIV infection in cats in New Zealand

Recently published research funded by Healthy Pets New Zealand has shown that the Fel-O-Vax FIV vaccine against Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) does not prevent infection with the virus in NZ. Given the lack of significant protection against FIV infection and the uncertainty regarding whether or not FIV infection causes disease, there is currently little scientific evidence supporting the use of this vaccine in New Zealand.