Horse Owners Urged to Register with Alert Service
Animal Health, the government agency tasked with minimising the risk and impact of notifiable animal diseases in Great Britain, is reminding horse owners to keep track of outbreaks of exotic equine diseases by registering with its Disease Alert Subscription Service.
By signing up, subscribers to the free service can receive information about diseases such as Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) and West Nile Virus via their choice of text, fax, voicemail or email.
Rob Paul, Chief Operating Officer for Animal Health, said the system was an important part of Animal Health’s efforts to keep horse owners informed, and to minimise the impact of equine disease outbreaks. “Outbreaks of exotic equine disease in Great Britain are, thankfully, rare,” he said.
“When disease outbreaks occur, as with the recent cases of EIA in Northumberland and Devon, it is important that horse owners are kept abreast of developments and receive the right information to protect their animals.”
The disease alert service provides registered users with the latest news specific to exotic notifiable animal disease outbreaks in Great Britain. Horse owners can subscribe to Animal Health’s disease alert service by visiting www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/alerts/subscribe.htm
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
