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Pet owners urged to focus on welfare
dog
Dogs were most often referred for aggression, despite the fact that research suggests 80 per cent of dogs left at home alone suffer from separation anxiety.
Owners tend to report 'undesirable' behaviours

Recently published data suggests that companion animals are being referred to specialists for behaviours that are undesirable to their owners, rather than those that threaten animal welfare.

This is according to data from cases seen by members of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. A review of the findings was co-presented by pet behaviour specialist Dr Sarah Millsopp at the recent Universities Federation for Animal Welfare conference in Croatia.

According to the data, dogs were most often referred for aggression, despite the fact that research suggests 80 per cent of dogs left at home alone suffer from separation anxiety.

Cats were most commonly referred for inappropriate toileting, but Dr Millsopp, who lectures at the University of Chester, said: "Other behaviours that cats were referred for are, in fact, part of a cat's normal behaviour repertoire, but are undesirable to some cat owners - like roaming and predatory activities."

When it came to aggression, most cats were referred for cat-on-cat aggression, while over a third of dogs were seen for aggression towards humans.

Dr Millsopp added: "The vast majority of the time, dogs are aggressive because they are scared or worried about something, or they are concerned about losing something that’s important to them…

"Some owners think that a dog must learn to cope with having their food taken away, but in reality, this just makes the animal more anxious. Anxious dogs are more likely to be aggressive, so this is counterproductive."

Holidays are particularly problematic, with behaviour counsellors and dog trainers tending to notice an increase in cases during these times. Dr Millsopp says this is not surprising when one considers the change in routine for many pets who are used to being home alone.

She hopes to educate owners to recognise animal behaviour from the pet's point of view, rather than their own preferences.

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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.