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Webinar to explore the welfare of mutilated animals
AWWC chair Dr Natasha Lee will be leading the webinar.
WSAVA session will explore whether procedures are for cosmetic reasons or convenience.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has announced a free webinar exploring the welfare of mutilated animals.

Hosted by the WSAVA's Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee (AWWC), the session will investigate whether mutilations on dogs and cats are performed for cosmetic appearance or simply for owner convenience. 

The webinar will be led by AWWC chair and Malaysian veterinary surgeon, Dr Natasha Lee, who has a strong interest in animal welfare. She spearheaded a campaign to introduce animal welfare science into the Asian curriculum, providing training to more than 125 vet schools, building a network of animal welfare educators and conducting online courses.

Dr Lee will be joined by two AWWC members - Dr Heather Bacon, who has worked internationally on veterinary education and animal welfare projects for 15 years and Dr Cheryl Good, a past president of the NAVC and chief veterinary officer at Dearborn Family Pet Care in Michigan.

The session will explore how mutilation procedures affect animal welfare and highlight Dr Good's approach to preventing these practices in her own hospital.

The webinar, 'Tails, Ears and Claws – the Welfare of Mutilated Animals' – takes place at 3 pm on Sunday, 20 November. For further information and to register, click here. 

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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.  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue RZ extended across Scotland

The Scottish Government has announced an extension to a Bluetongue Restricted Zone that is in place in south-west Scotland.

From 3 October, the Restricted Zone will be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. The Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) says this is in response to further disease spread, as well as simplify trading conditions ahead of the autumn.

Since the whole country will share a disease status, it will no longer be necessary to have a movement license to move susceptible livestock around the country. Restrictions on germinal products remain.

As of 1 October 2026, there were 1,979 cases of BTV-3 in England, 389 cases in Wales and 40 cases in Scotland.