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'Bizarre' dog practice reaches UK
Wendy Kruger
Wendy Kruger.

Belly banding spotted at Wood Green centre in Godmanchester

A practice which prevents dogs from scent-marking has shown its first signs of having arrived in the UK from the United States.

Staff at animal charity Wood Green reported a 'bizarre' case of so-called 'belly banding' at their centre in Godmanchester a few days ago, when a young dog was admitted as a stray.

The dog arrived with a fabric band tied around its middle, with a sanitary towel placed inside it, pushing against the dogs penis and stomach.  The technique, which stops the dog wanting to urinate, is now widely available for pet owners to learn about online.

Whilst the practice is not regarded as an act of cruelty -  and may be made with good intentions - it can hide medical issues such as bladder stones, diabetes and urinary tract infections.  Furthermore, if the area is not cleaned regularly the dog can develop issues like skin rashes and urinary tract infections.

Dog training and welfare consultant, Wendy Kruger, said: "In the case that we saw, certainly the owners who came to claim the dog were very much loving dog owners, but they had found out about the process and just had no idea that this could ultimately be harmful, or that it was really just masking a relatively easy behavioural issue to solve."

Whilst scent-marking is not uncommon in dogs, it could be happening for a number of reasons, such as lack of confidence having not been taught how to use appropriate locations to urinate.

“This just isn’t a practice we’re comfortable to hear about or see,” said Wendy. “Scent marking can be easily solved by things like taking the dog out and rewarding him for toileting in appropriate places, and always ensuring the dog is in the same room as you."

Wood Green encourages owners to consider neutering as scent-marking can partly be driven by hormones.


Wendy added: “It concerns me that the idea is something so easily available online for people to copy and that owners may think it’s a quick fix. Instead of going this route I would urge them to call us and let members of our behavioural service discuss how to better overcome issues of scent-marking for the long-term.”

Image (C) Wood Green

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.