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Blue Cross donates ventilators to the NHS
The two ventilators have been sent to NHS hospitals in London and Surrey.

Vital equipment to be used in the fight against COVID-19

Pet charity Blue Cross has provided support to NHS hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, by donating two of its mechanical ventilators.

The two ventilators, which are typically used on pets under anaesthetic and in surgery at the charity’s animal hospitals in London, have now been sent to NHS hospitals in London and Surrey.

The charity’s donation follows countrywide calls from Defra, the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England for veterinary practices and other organisations to donate any ventilators they can spare in order to prepare for an expected increase in patients suffering from severe respiratory problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nadine Lock, chief veterinary surgeon at the Blue Cross hospital in Hammersmith, commented: “We wanted to offer our help and we understand ventilators are critically important in supporting the recovery of human patients in hospital being treated for the virus. Blue Cross teams can manually ventilate pets in surgery at our hospital in Victoria, should this be necessary.”

In its call to action for UK practices, Defra said: “We are aware that many veterinary practices across the country may have NHS compatible - human ventilators that they are not using for emergency animal care. To be clear we are not asking for ventilators only suitable for animals.

“We are also cognisant of animal welfare, and that you will need to set aside ventilators for emergency veterinary care. We are therefore only asking you to contribute what you can, acknowledging the difficult balance involved.”

If you think your practice may be able to assist the NHS, please click here to register your interest.

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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
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.