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Home Direct service to alleviate horse crisis
The service will free-up space in the charity's equine centres for urgent neglect or abandonment cases.

Service will free-up valuable space in rescue centres 

A service to help owners find suitable new homes for their horses if they can no longer keep them has been launched by Blue Cross.

The charity’s Home Direct scheme
comes after the success of a similar Blue Cross programme for small animals, which was introduced in 2010. It will mean the charity can keep valuable space free at its rescue centres, ready for any urgent neglect or abandonment cases.

“We receive daily emails from owners who are unable to keep their horses any longer, says Emily Lambert, rehoming coordinator at Blue Cross. “The reason may be anything from the owner’s failing health to horses that cannot no longer be ridden.
 
“We also have frequent calls from owners looking for help and advice on their horses and sometimes just listening and talking gives people the peace of mind that they are making the right decision.”

Equine charities are currently receiving a high volume of calls every month from horse owners seeking new homes for their animals. With more than one million horses and donkeys in the UK, the charitable sector has limited available space and must prioritise welfare and rescue cases.

Home Direct will enable Blue Cross to care and support even more hoses. Under the scheme, every horse will be assessed by a member of the Blue Cross team and then advertised on the charity’s website.

When a potential new owner has been found, Blue Cross will arrange and oversee an initial visit and, if it is a good match, the horse will be re-homed.

“We would much rather people approach us whilst their horses are still healthy than risk them being passed from pillar to post and potentially ending up in a welfare compromised situation and making more work for charities,” Emily continues. “The great thing about Home Direct is we are helping people as much as we are helping horses.”

The Home Direct service is being offered to other equine welfare charities that don’t specialise in rehoming. Any horse can be considered for the scheme, as long as they pass a health check and are not on any long term medication.
 

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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.