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Be alert to pets living in UK illegally
Practices and vets urged to report all cases

A Dogs Trust survey has found that fewer than 50 per cent of vets discuss the risks of zoonotic diseases with pet owners when conducting travel consultations.

The survey, which was conducted among 121 vets and 1,005 owners, also discovered that just three in four vets (77 per cent) said they would contact Defra when faced with a false pet passport.

Using these findings, the charity has been able to gauge attitudes to the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) that changed back in January 2012, to allow cats, dogs and ferrets enter the UK without a blood test from "listed" European countries, provided that they are microchipped and rabies vaccinated.

Further changes included allowing animals from non-listed countries to wait just 21 days, rather than the previous six months, to enter the UK and scrapping mandatory tick treatment for all pets.

With further findings that showed 57 per cent of vets had clients with a foreign dog in 2012 – five per cent of which they suspected had a disease from abroad – both academics and trading standards officials have urged practices to be more alert to pets illegally entering the country.

According to Rob Quest, from the City of London Trading Standards, there was four times the number of animals illegally entering the country in 2012, each of which had not met the PETS requirements.

"Harmonisation was devised to help people move with their pets, but instead it's being used by dealers who want to make money," said Quest.

"What we want to do as an enforcement agency is target dealers, but we have a lot of problems tracking them. Instead, we have to deal with the poor person who has bought this pet in good faith and then we have to take that animal away."

Adding his concerns for unknowing pet owners, canine epidemiologist David Argyle commented: "Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Owners are incredibly reliant on vets and the advice vets give them, therefore as a profession, we really have an obligation to deliver that information.

"I'm concerned from the survey that there is a gap in our understanding… as a profession we have an obligation to close that knowledge gap."

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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
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."