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Could you be a Street Vet?
Jade Statt and Sam Joseph.

Project to help homeless people's pets seeks volunteers

StreetVet has helped more than 150 dogs belonging to homeless people in the past year, and it is soon to expand its work to Birmingham.

Veterinary professionals who are hoping to join their work attended a session at BSAVA Congress this morning (7 April) to find out more.

Jade Statt founded the project when she met a homeless man and his dog one night in 2016. Hearing him speak about his unconditional love for his dog and his fear of losing her, Jade felt frustrated that she couldn't help.

In October that year she started a pilot project, going out in London with a backpack of medication, a stethoscope and a nurse. Her work featured on ITV News, BBC Trending and in the veterinary press and numerous pet magazines.

She later met like-minded vet Sam Joseph and they officially formed StreetVet together. Now the project has 250 registered patients and 200 volunteer vets and nurses. The pair are looking to recruit more like-minded professionals to take part.

StreetVet has stations in six locations a week in London and has recently started outreach programmes in Brighton, Bristol and Cambridge. Outreach teams of two to five vets and nurses go out and proactively seek out homeless people with dogs to offer help.

Volunteer vets and nurses vaccinate and microchip pets, administer flea and worm treatments and provide pain relief, as well as helping to fight infections and perform surgeries.

The project works alongside trusted social care organisations and soup kitchens, including Streets Kitchen, which feeds around 1,000 people in London every week.

Vets who see a homeless person with a dog can notify StreetVet - with the owner's permission – providing as must information as possible, and a member of the team will reach out to them.

Professionals looking to get involved are asked to contribute a minimum of two hours per month, which can count towards CPD. For further information, and to find out how to get involved or notify StreetVet see streetvet.co.uk

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.