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Dogs "in tune" with humans
New research suggests why dogs are empathetic

It is thought that dogs can empathise with all humans - even those they don't know - according to a study published in the Animal Cognition journal.

The experiments showed empathy towards humans from the majority of dogs. For example when people pretended to cry, dogs would usually offer comfort by licking and nuzzling them.

Colleagues from the Department of Psychology at the University of London Goldsmiths College, Deborah Custance and Jennifer Mayer, used 18 pet dogs of different ages and breeds for their study. The humans were both owners and strangers.

Another recent study, published in PLoS ONE showed that dogs play very close attention to human signals. This study looked at their brain activity when watching people.

According to the publications, it is possible that the rewards dogs receive when approaching distressed humans has been hardwired into the species during their domestication. For this reason, dog are now "in tune" with us.

Custance said: "I think there is good reason to suspect dogs would be more sensitive to human emotion than other species. We have selectively bred them to act as our companions."

Custance and Mayer hope to next study how empathetic wolves may be.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
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RCVS members invited to question Council candidates

RCVS members have been invited to submit questions to candidates for this year's RCVS Council election.

With 15 candidates standing for three available positions, vets have been invited to submit a question of their choosing before voting starts. These questions will be collated, with each candidate answering one question of their choice.

It is recommended that members read the candidates' biographies and statements before submitting questions. One question per member can be submitted to vetvote26@rcvs.org.uk before Wednesday, 25 February 2026.

The RCVS Council election is due to start in March.

With only two candidates for two positions on the VN Council, there will be no VN Council elections this year. Meghan Conroy RVN and Lauren Hargrave RVN will begin their three year terms at RCVS' AGM in July.