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National Pet Month fights flab
Image: Rosemary Conley
Keep-fit queen calls for healthy owners and pets

Rosemary Conley, the founder of a string of diet and fitness clubs, has turned her attention to obese animals for National Pet Month.

Raising awareness between April 1 and May 6, Rosemary is urging owners to show love for their pets by providing them with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Rosemary has lived with pets since she was a child and currently owns three dogs – two black labradors and a lurcher-whippet cross.

She explained that pets can have a positive impact on people's lives, using the example that dog ownership is a great way to get fit and stay fit.

"It's important for people to look after their pet's weight as much as their own weight," she commented. "Research has shown that dog owners tend to be a stone lighter than non-dog owners.

"Dogs provide us with a wonderful reason to go out walking – one of the easiest and best fitness activities you can do. As one doctor once said to me, 'dogs should be prescribed on the NHS'!"

Rosemary added that giving pets endless treats just because they ask for them surmounts to pet cruelty and leads to heart disease, hyper-tension, joint problems and arthritis.

To accompany the advice, National Pet Month is asking pet owners to look at the following three ways to help pets maintain a safe weight:
  • Don't be tempted to give table scraps as these are often too high in calories for pets – one chunk of cheese for your cat is the equivalent to nine chunks of cheese for an average-size woman.
  • If you are feeding specially-formulated pet treats, don't over do it – look out for lighter varieties too. Remember to take any treats into consideration at mealtimes and adjust the amount you feed accordingly, without disrupting their nutritional balance.
  • Check your pet's weight routinely – click here to use the Pet Size-O-Meter as a comparison.

National Pet Month is currently in its 24th year, encouraging responsible ownership among pet owners, which amounts to almost half of the UK's households.

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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."