Responsible dog breeding and owning debate
The Kennel Club's chairman has said that vets should be working with the club to encourage responsible breeding and owning of dogs at a recent debate.
Steve Dean said: "There is a lot vets can do, but it is best done in tandem [with the Kennel Club], because we are already doing it."
The debate on irresponsible dog breeding and puppy farming focussed on discussing the ways in which vets could educate the public to obtain a healthy dog.
Reiterating Professor Dean's views, BVA President-Elect Robin Hargreaves said that the Kennel Club, breeders and the BVA need to have one voice and "start saying the same things, at the same time, about the same things".
Mr Hargreaves also suggested that breeders should embrace the BVA/RSPCA puppy contract and information pack, and distribute them when selling a puppy.
Rachael Kilroy, senior veterinary surgeon at the PDSA, commented that the veterinary profession needs to be more proactive about educating the public and letting them know that information is available, including the cost of of owning a pet, where to get their pets from, and pets' basic needs.
Adding that public often associate a visit to the vet with cost, and not realising that a lot of information could be obtained for free, Mr Hargreaves agreed part of the problem was a "perception of barriers that do not exist".
He said that it is unrealistic to expect that the public would visit a vet for this kind of advice, but if they did, vets should direct them to the Kennel Club website.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
