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Royal Mail campaign tackles dog attacks
Attacks on postmen a 'significant concern'

Royal Mail has launched the first Dog Awareness Week to help address the issue of dog attacks on postmen and women, some of which have led to permanent disability.

Since April 2011, there have reportedly been over 5,500 dog attacks on Royal Mail postmen and women, and a loss of 4,100 working days in total due to injuries.

Whilst attacks across the UK have dropped by 24 per cent since 2011, Royal Mail says it is working to drive this number down further, and has joined forces with Communication Workers Union (CWU) to launch the new campaign.

Running from July 15 to 19, Dog Awareness Week aims to tackle the issue by helping owners to see how simple training methods could prevent their dogs feeling threatened by postmen and women.

The Dogs Trust and Wood Green are supporting the campaign by holding question and answer sessions for owners on their Facebook pages, and the Dogs Trust have also helped to create posters with top tips for dog owners.

Shaun Davis, director of health, safety and wellbeing for Royal Mail, said: "Clearly most dogs are not inherently dangerous, however, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its territory is being threatened.

"Our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers, and we appeal to owners to keep their pets under control, especially if they know their pets have a territorial nature."

Royal Mail will also aim to target their postmen and women, giving advice on what to do in the event of an attack, and how to minimise physical harm.

As part of the campaign, parliamentary under secretary, Lord De Mauley, will also become a London postman for a day, joining a postman who has previously been the victim of an attack.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.