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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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FIVP announces third series of Practice Matters

News Story 1
 The Federation of Independent Veterinary practices (FIVP) has announced a third season of its podcast, Practice Matters.

Hosted by Ian Wolstenholme, series three will focus on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation, including a discussion about some of the expected impacts on independent veterinary colleagues.

Episode one launches on 13th January with guests Drs David Reader and Scott Summers, who will draw on their research into the CMA investigation and provide insights into themes such as transparency, pricing and consumer trust.

Ian Wolstenholme said: "In its third series, we will try and hone in on what the changes will mean in reality for independent practices with advice and guidance on implementation and delivery, drawing on the experience of our own team and other experts in the profession. Hope you can join us soon!" 

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News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk