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WSAVA appoints new committee chairs
Ann Hohenhaus has been made chair of the WSAVA Oncology Working Group.
Four new chairs have been appointed to three committees.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has appointed four new committee chairs.

Paulo Steagall and Jo Murrell are the new co-chairs of the WSAVA Global Pain Council, which focuses on eliminating the gap between pain incidence and pain treatment.

Dr Steagall is a professor of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia at the City University of Hong Kong. Dr Murrell works in referral practice in the UK and has previously been an academic at the University of Bristol, where she studied pain mechanisms and clinical analgesic protocols in dogs, cats, and horses.  

Ann Hohenhaus has been appointed as chair of the WSAVA Oncology Working Group, which works to raise awareness of effective and accessible treatments for cancer. Dr Hohenhaus has practised oncology at a veterinary centre in New York, USA, for more than 30 years.

Jane Sykes has been made chair of the WSAVA’s Scientific Committee, which makes sure that WSAVA clinical guidance and educational material is based on the best-possible scientific evidence. Dr Sykes is a professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.

The WSAVA has 12 committees in total, each focusing on an area of companion animal practice. The committees create WSAVA Global Guidelines and other educational resources.

WSAVA president Ellen van Nierop said: “Our chairs lead their committees with great dedication and ensure that the resources and continuing education they create support our goals of setting global standards of care for companion animals and campaigning for change on key issues affecting our members.

“We’re delighted to welcome our new chairs and thank them for stepping up to serve our global veterinary community.”

Image © WSAVA

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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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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.