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Pets 'can help with long-term mental health issues'
Sixty per cent placed their pets in the central 'most important' circle.
Study finds pets play a range of positive roles in their owners' lives

New research published in BMC Psychiatry suggests pets can help their owners with the management of long-term mental health conditions.

Researchers from the University of Manchester interviewed 54 adults under the care of community-based mental health services, who had been diagnosed with severe mental illnesses. The participants were asked to rate the importance of, for example, their family, friends, pets, healthcare professionals and hobbies.

Factors were rated by placing them in one of three concentric circles - the central one being the most important, the middle being of secondary importance and the outer circle of lesser importance.

Sixty per cent placed their pets in the central 'most important' circle, while 20 per cent put them in the middle circle.

The consistent presence and close physical proximity of pets was described as an immediate source of calm and therapeutic benefits to owners. Participants felt their pets played a range of positive roles, including distracting them from their symptoms and helping them to manage the stigma associated with mental health issues by providing acceptance without judgement.

Pets were also considered valuable in times of crisis, giving unconditional support that people were often not receiving from their family or social relationships.

Despite these benefits, pets were not considered or incorporated in any of the participants' individual care plans.

Lead author Dr Helen Brooks said: "These insights provide the mental health community with possible areas to target intervention and potential ways in which to better involve people in their own mental health service provision through open discussion of what works best for them."

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.