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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 18th November 2021
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Defra warns public of 'petfishing' dangers
Recent research from Opinion Matters discovered that 27 per cent of UK cat or dog owners say they noticed a suspicious seller or advert whilst purchasing their pet.
A Christmas-themed video has been released to help owners identify signs. 

Defra is warning the public about the dangers of 'petfishing' practices ahead of the increased demand for pets over the Christmas period.

Today (18 November), Defra has launched its Christmas Petfished campaign, which warns potential pet owners of deceitful low-welfare sellers, who breed and keep animals in bad conditions for financial gain. 

A recent BVA and BVNA survey discovered that almost two thirds (68 per cent) of pet owners were unaware that the clinical and behavioural signs of their pet may be linked to low welfare breeding practices. 

Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer, commented: “Christmas can be a difficult time to settle a pet into a new home and it’s vitally important that people not only research the breed of animal they want, but also the person selling it to them.

“Puppies and kittens bred in low-welfare conditions can often be separated from their mother too soon which can lead to severe health and behavioural problems, heartache and high vet bills for their new family. 

“We urge people to remain vigilant and to always thoroughly research pet sellers before getting in touch.”

Defra is encouraging the public to use the acronym S.P.O.T to notice vital warning signs when researching sellers: 

•  Seller – Put the seller's name and details into a search engine, and avoid those with multiple adverts
•  Parent – Ensure that you see puppies and kittens in their home with their mothe
•  Old enough – Check that puppies and kittens are at least eight weeks old before taking them home
•  Treatment – Ask to see the animal's health records, and avoid any sellers who can't provide them.

The campaign features a YouTube video, titled 'Buying a pet this Christmas?.. Don't get petfished!', which features talking animals explaining what petfishing is, and why it's bad. The video encourages potential pet owners to search 'get your pet safely' for more information on what to do before contacting a seller. 

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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News Shorts
CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.