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RCVS Christmas donation given to Medical Detection Dogs
"We are very grateful for this generous donation from the RCVS which will help us continue our mission to train dogs to save lives" - Claire Guest, MDD CEO.

The charity trains dogs to detect odours of human diseases.

The RCVS has announced the recipient of this years' Christmas donation as Medical Detection Dogs (MDD).

Chosen by RCVS president Dr Kate Richards, Medical Detection Dogs trains canines to detect the odours of human diseases at early stages. 

Previous recipients of the annual donation include StreetVet, The American Fondouk, Iris's Cats in Need and The Country Trust. 

Kate discussed her choice: “Medical Detection Dogs is One Health in action, demonstrating the connection and inter-dependency between people and animals. 

“The charity trains dogs to detect the odour of human diseases and is now trialling dogs in real-life settings to detect the odour of Covid-19. Their results indicate that dogs perform better than the lateral flow test. 

“The study, still to be peer reviewed, indicates that using dogs will be considerably faster than existing testing methods since one dog can screen up to 250 people in an hour. Despite the advances in technology, these dogs are at the sniffing edge of science.”

Claire Guest, MDD CEO, commented on the donation: “We are very grateful for this generous donation from the RCVS which will help us continue our mission to train dogs to save lives using their amazing sense of smell.

“We share a joint appreciation and understanding of just how incredible our wet-nosed companions are and the work of MDD shows that the future of disease diagnosis could be held in their paws.

“Our dogs have already successfully proven that they are superior to any technology when detecting the odour of diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and malaria and conditions like Type 1 diabetes and postural tachycardia syndrome.

“Now, at a time when the pandemic is affecting us all either directly or indirectly, they are also on the cusp of being an extra, fast, accurate layer of defence to help keep us safe and keep the world moving.”

Image (C) Neil Pollock, Medical Detection Dogs

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Webinar to explore history of KC breed registers

News Story 1
 A free webinar exploring the development of the Kennel Club's registration system and the evolution of closed breed registers has been announced.

Hosted by Dr Alison Skipper, veterinary and research advisor at the Kennel Club, the webinar will delve into the development of the registry and how the changing landscape of scientific knowledge has shaped breeding practices. It will also look at what this means for the future of pedigree dogs.

The session will culminate with a look at The Kennel Club's ongoing and future engagement in this area, with a chance for attendees to put forward their thoughts and questions for discussion.

This event takes place on Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, 10 June at 7pm. To learn more, visit events.teams.microsoft.com  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.