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Calls to tackle puppy smuggling before Brexit
"With Brexit around the corner this is an opportunity of a lifetime to put robust measures in place that protect dogs and the public."

Latest report confirms widespread abuse of pet travel laws 

The Dogs Trust is calling for urgent action to tackle puppy smuggling before Brexit, after a recent undercover investigation confirmed the scale of the problem.

According to the charity’s latest report, a network of corrupt breeders, dealers and vets openly admit to breaking the law to export puppies.

Sedated puppies were found hidden in their own faeces in cramped conditions, forced to travel over 1,000 miles in 30 hours with little water and no toilet breaks. Heavily pregnant bitches were also caged in ‘sickening’ conditions for gruelling journeys, so that their puppies can be born in the UK.

One dealer said they had 300 bitches producing ‘designer’ puppies such as French bulldogs, some of which were then advertised and sold in the UK. Another dealer who claimed to evade border controls across Europe, said around 400 puppies a week - or 20,000 a year - are exported from his hometown and sold for an average price of £1,400.

The Dogs Trust said corrupt vets were also found to be falsifying passports and providing fake vaccination stamps. This allows puppies to travel when they are younger than the law allows, without rabies and other vaccinations. Some vets were also willing to supply sedatives to bring puppies across the UK border undetected, the report says.

New trade routes from Serbia were discovered. Evidence suggests underage puppies are being sold with EU microchips and pre-filled European passports, to be passed off as EU-bred animals for easier entry into EU countries.

Dogs Trust veterinary director Paula Boyden said: "With Brexit around the corner this is an opportunity of a lifetime to put robust measures in place that protect dogs and the public.

"We urge the government to take forward our clear recommendations to overhaul our pet travel legislation and increase the penalties for those caught fuelling this despicable trade."

The charity is urging people to write to their local MP asking them to take steps to end puppy smuggling.

 

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."