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Dog poo to be DNA tested
couple walking dog
A cheek swab is used to collect DNA, which is then stored in a registry by PooPrints UK.

Barking council in bid to catch 'selfish' owners

A UK local authority has revealed plans to DNA test dog poo in order to catch 'selfish' owners who do not clean up after their pet.

It may sound like a late April Fool's joke, but Barking and Dagenham Council are the first local authority in the country to introduce such a scheme. They have teamed up with the DNA sequencing company, PooPrints UK.

DNA is collected from dogs by a cheek swab and stored in a registry, at a cost of £15-£30 to the owner, the company says. If the owner then fails to pick up after their pet, a DNA test can trace the registered dog with 99.9 per cent accuracy. The owner could then face fines of up to £80.

It is expected that a pilot scheme will be introduced and, if successful, it will be rolled out across the borough from September 2016.

The move was announced at a dog fouling forum in Barking this week, where attendees discussed how to encourage owners to register their dog's DNA and how to tie this in with the upcoming requirement for all dogs to be microchipped.

Opening the forum, councillor Darren Rodwell said: "We are the first Council in the country to get really tough on dog mess and pet owners who do not act in a socially responsible way. The vast majority of dog owners in Barking and Dagenham are socially responsible but unfortunately a selfish few think it’s ok to not clean up after their pet."

Dog poo DNA testing is undertaken in 45 US states, as well as Canada. The program is also currently being trialled in Israel and Singapore.

Biotech company Streetkleen is overseeing PooPrints in the UK. Its managing director Gary Downie claims the scheme has reduced dog fouling by as much as 90 per cent in parts of the US.

The Kennel Club's Caroline Kisko, however, has reservations about making the scheme compulsory, and the cost to dog owners.

She told the Evening Telegraph: "…it would be difficult to make this compulsory and enforceable which would likely mean that only responsible owners, who already pick up after their dogs, would register - the irresponsible minority who do not pick up after their dogs would simply continue to flout the law...

"We would also be concerned if there was a cost involved for dog owners, which could effectively become a tax on responsible owners."

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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.