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Dog summit hosted by Scottish Government
Image dog barking
Topics discussed at the summit include dog licensing and microchipping.
Government and welfare representatives give views on responsible ownership

A recent summit on responsible dog ownership brought together representatives from Scottish Government, the police and animal welfare and veterinary organisations.

Hosted in Edinburgh last week, the Responsible Dog Ownership Summit was announced last year by first minister Alex Salmond, after he met with the families of dog attack victims.

The meeting covered dog control, licensing, compulsory microchipping and enforcement of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act.

These issues have also been raised in the Government's recent consultation - "Promoting responsible dog ownership in Scotland: microchipping and other measures". The consultation has reportedly received around 2,000 responses so far.

Summit attendees included the Dogs Trust, Scottish SPCA, BVA, Police Scotland, NFU Scotland and members of the Scottish Parliament.

Speaking at the event, representatives from the Kennel Club pledged its commitment to compulsory microchipping in Scotland, in the form of educating the public.

The club also highlighted the importance of a legal requirement to keep information up to date, minimum standards for databases and implanter training.

Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: "With over 600,000 dogs in Scotland, it is important that all those concerned with them work together to promote responsible ownership.  

"We therefore commend the Scottish Government for holding this event to share ideas on how to tackle current issues relating to dog control and new measures that can be introduced to improve matters."

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Annual submission deadline small pet animal exemptions

News Story 1
 Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.

Submitting this annual return ensures continued compliance with regulatory requirements for products marketed without a full Marketing Authorisation. The exemption specifically applies to products intended for animals, cage birds, terrarium animals, small rodents, ferrets and rabbits.

For further details and submission guidelines, visit the gov.uk website.  

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In a recent statement, the BVA noted that members are reporting more severe clinical signs and higher mortality rates than in previous years.

'We know that farm vets are working hard to support farmers and animals affected by this outbreak, during what is an extremely difficult time for all involved,' they stated. 'Continued vigilance to identify disease early is vital and vaccination remains the best way of protecting animals from this disease.'