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PDSA receives prestigious RCVS Knowledge award
The PDSA received the award for the introduction of a national pain relief protocol.
Quality Improvement award honours the introduction of a national pain relief protocol.

The RCVS has presented the PDSA with a prestigious award recognising the charity's work to improve the provision of pain management.

The 2020 RCVS Knowledge Award for Quality Improvement as a Champion Practice was presented on Thursday (10 September) at the College's inaugural virtual awards evening.

PDSA received the award for the introduction of a national pain relief protocol, auditing of cruciate surgery outcomes and development of clinical incident reporting. Upon receiving the award, Steve Howard, PDSA’s head of clinical services, said:

“We’re delighted to receive this award and to celebrate the work of our veterinary teams who continually work so hard to achieve excellence. These have been challenging times but our dedicated Pet Hospital teams have been working tirelessly to treat sick and injured pets in need across the UK throughout the pandemic; delivering the best quality care they can in very difficult circumstances.”

He added: “I am immensely proud of them all and pleased to be able to share the uplifting news that PDSA has received this award as a result of their hard work and dedication to delivering a quality service in the past – which they are still doing to this day.”

The PDSA's work showcased improvements in pain relief provision following the introduction of protocols, advancements in case selection and management of post-cruciate surgery patients. It also highlighted the role of auditing clinical incident reports to allow interventions to be targeted where they will be most beneficial.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

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News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.