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50 per cent of pets not vaccinated
Report finds 11million pets face early death

New figures from the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) have demonstrated that 11million UK pets are vulnerable to preventable diseases.

The research suggests that while 40 per cent of owners would risk their own lives to save their pet, nearly 50 per cent of pets are not vaccinated or neutered to protect them from disease.

A spokesman said: "More than 11 million pets could die prematurely in the next decade from devastating preventable illnesses such as parvovirus, feline leukaemia and certain forms of cancer because their owners are failing to vaccinate or neuter them."

Two surveys in 2007 and 2010 by the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) also found that those who do not regularly vaccinate their pet do not believe it's relevant to their situation. Those who did vaccinate regularly felt that being a responsible pet owner meant preventing disease.

"Perhaps to some extent vaccination has been a victim of its own success, with many owners not seeing the infectious diseases that vaccines prevent in their pets or the pets of their friends," said Donal Murphy, technical executive and veterinary surgeon at NOAH.

"Yet once the level of vaccination in the population drops, the disease incidence starts to rise," he added.

Visit the PDSA website for more information on the report.

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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.