Reminder over litter limit rules
A new rule, released earlier this year, states that the registration of litters from any one bitch is limited to four. However, the Kennel Club (KC) have still been receiving registration requests for fifth litters.
Currently the legal limit is six litters per bitch, but the KC have chosen to lower their registration allowance due to concerns for a bitch's welfare after this many litters. This decision was made, and came into effect on 1 January 2012, following advice from the KC's dog health group.
The KC have now issued a reminder to breeders of the four litter limit, and would like breeders to acknowledge the rule is in place ultimately for the welfare of the bitch.
'While the law still allows bitches to have six litters in a lifetime, the vast majority of responsible breeders feel this is too high,' said KC secretary, Caroline Kisko. 'This ruling has been in place for some months, but the Kennel Club is still receiving applications to register a fifth litter from a bitch, and we felt that a reminder was appropriate.'
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
