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Vet pleads guilty to illegally importing puppies
Viktor Molnar, 58, admitted to illegally importing five miniature “teacup” dachshund puppies to the UK

Viktor Molnar banned from operating a pet shop for 10 years
 
A mobile vet has pleaded guilty to by-passing rabies laws and illegally importing puppies to the UK.

Viktor Molnar, 58, admitted to illegally importing five miniature “teacup” dachshund puppies to the UK and running an illegal pet shop from his home in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.

His conviction follows an investigation by Bury Licensing Service after teacher Mary McFarlane paid Molnar £700 to buy one of the puppies. On the drive home, the puppy was sick, so Mary asked Molnar for a copy of the dog’s pet passport.

Mary also took the puppy to her local vet who estimated the dog to be just eight to 12 weeks old - much younger than the age shown on the vacation card. The vaccination card did not show any record of rabies nor multi-headed tapeworm treatment, so the vet contacted Renfrewshire Council and placed the puppy in quarantine.

The documents and information were handed to Bury Council who visited Molnar’s home in February. Animal health inspector Sandra Coombes saw four adult dogs and five miniature dachshund puppies in the flat. She was informed that the puppies had arrived by van the previous night, having been brought online by Molnar, and had Hungarian-issued pet passports.

Ms Coombes sought advice from a local veterinary practice, which estimated that the puppies were likely to be under 12 weeks old, and not the 17 weeks shown on their pet passports. As the puppies were too young for vaccination. they could not have brought into the UK legally and were subsequently placed into quarantine.

On Wednesday (7 March) at Manchester Magistrates Court, Molnar pleaded guilty to offences under the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and other Mammals) Order 1974 and Sections 10, 73 and 75 of the Animal Health Act 1981. He also pleaded guilty to an offence under the Pet Animals Act 1951 for using his premises in Prestwich as a pet shop without a licence.

Molnar was handed a 270-hour Community Order and disqualified from running a pet shop or a boarding establishment for ten years. He was also ordered to pay more than £5000 in compensation and prosecution costs.

Bury Council said that the RCVS will now be contacted over Molnar's fitness to continue practising as a vet.

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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. 

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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.