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Equine owners reminded to get horses microchipped by October
Compulsory microchipping will make it easier for lost or stolen horses, ponies and donkeys to be reunited with their owners.

Law will help in the identification of lost or stolen animals.

Equine owners are being reminded that they have until the 1 October 2020 to get their animals microchipped, or face a fine of up to £200.

The new legislation was introduced in June in a bid to tackle horse theft, improve equine traceability and improve animal welfare. Besides making sure their horses, ponies and donkeys are microchipped owners will also be required to keep their animals' details up to date on the Central Equine Database.

Compulsory microchipping will also make it easier for lost or stolen horses to be reunited with their owners. In 2019, the RSPCA received more than 21,000 reports to its cruelty hotline and took 875 horses into care.

Around 70 per cent of these horses did not have a microchip, making it difficult for the organisation to trace owners and to hold anyone responsible for the cruelty the animals had faced.

Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss said: “As we have seen with cats and dogs, mandatory microchipping is a hugely important step forward in the speedy identification of abandoned or stolen animals.

“Microchipping will not only help the police and local authorities but also support the UK’s efforts to improve traceability and ensure we have better control over any disease outbreaks. This new legislation will also ensure that irresponsible owners are rightly held accountable for any low standards of welfare.”

The Central Equine Database will enable Local Authorities and Police to track down the owners of lost and abandoned horses, helping to improve standards of animal welfare and preventing horse theft. The database can be accessed online via the Digital Stable and holds information on all horses in England (as well as other parts of the UK).

RSPCA equine expert Dr Mark Kennedy said: “We’re delighted that it will soon be compulsory for horses of all ages in England to be microchipped, linking each horse directly to an owner. We believe this will go some way towards helping to identify irresponsible owners who abandon or neglect their horses; as well as helping to reunite owners with missing or stolen equines.

“All too frequently our officers encounter abandoned and neglected horses who are often sick, dying or even dead. Equine welfare charities collectively estimate there are 7,000 horses at risk of poor welfare in England and Wales alone and, with the economic fallout of Covid-19, we’re extremely concerned that many more will fall into situations of neglect, abandonment and suffering this winter.”

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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.