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Horse crisis report published
Horse welfare charities call on government and public help

A landmark report, entitled Left On The Verge: the approaching Equine Crisis in England and Wales, suggests that around 6000 horses will be at risk this winter, and charities will be physically unable to cope with the increasing numbers of horses being abandoned, neglected or abused.

In the report, horse welfare charities call on the public to help rehome horses; for horse owners to take responsibility for their animals and not pass the problem onto local authorities, charities and landowners; and for the Government and other agencies to help rein in the problem before winter sets in and hundreds of horses and ponies suffer.

All major horse organisations have seen a rise in numbers. The RSPCA took in more than twice the number of horses between April 2011 and March 2012 as it did the previous year; World Horse Welfare has seen the numbers of horses taken into its centres rise by 50% since 2006 and has to restrict admissions; Redwings has seen a 28 per cent increase in equine intake since 2006 and abandonments rise from 160 in 2009 to 450 in 2011. Furthermore, last winter, HorseWorld saw a threefold increase in the number of abandoned and neglected horses it rescued compared with the previous year.

Overbreeding and the current economic climate are thought to have contributed to what Nicolas de Brauwere, Head of Welfare at Redwings Horse Sanctuary and Chairman of the National Equine Welfare Council, has called "an extremely serious state of affairs."

Meanwhile, Roly Owers, chief executive of World Horse Welfare, commented: “The organisations are already at breaking point with a severe shortage of available places and we are aware of an additional 6,000 horses which could be at risk over the winter.

“These are all groups of horses that are on the edge of becoming welfare concerns, either because their owners are struggling to look after them or because they are not getting the care they need and ownership is unclear. We could not cope if even a fraction of this number needed to be rescued.

“We are urging members of the public who can offer a horse a home to please do so now.”

To read the report, click here.

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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. 

Click here for more...
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.