Category: Animal Welfare

StreetVet Homeless Pets Charity

Posted on by Les Ellison
StreetVet Homeless Pets Charity

Officially Registered

Registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and now an officially listed Registered Charity, StreetVet provides a comprehensive ‘out on the streets’ veterinary diagnostics, treatment, welfare and owner education service for the pets of Britain’s homeless.

StreetVet: How It All Began

StreetVet began with just two vets out on the streets of London back in 2016. Armed with only what veterinary supplies and equipment could be fitted into a backpack, ‎Jade Statt and Sam Joseph set out to honour the bond of loyalty they had witnessed between one homeless man and his dog.

Back then, Gary Spall, with his staffie-cross Lola, was among the homeless still to be found on the streets around Covent Garden, London. Lola, a rescue dog from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home shared every moment of Gary’s street life, building a mutual bond of loyalty and dependence. Gary attributed his survival through the worst of times to Lola, telling news reporters: “I don’t know what I’d do without her… It’d break me if I ever lost her.”

Homeless Pets: A Reason to Keep On Keeping On

As with Gary, a pet on the streets provides more than simply companionship for many homeless. A dog or, less usually, a cat or other animal provides a focus for living and a reason just to keep on going. Unfortunately, loved as they are, street pets can find themselves excluded from the professional veterinary healthcare, diagnosis and treatment expected for homed pets. A particular worry for the homeless is who will look after their pet if and when a stay in hospital becomes unavoidable.

StreetVet, now with 300 volunteers on its books, and supported by animal charity Blue Cross, also links homeless pet owners into the charity StreetKitchen with support for their owners too. Owner education is one of the key service points that StreetVet offers, giving owners the vital information they need to understand the particular health risks to pets of a life on the streets.

Continuing Care: Vaccinations and Follow-ups

Emergency care, veterinary diagnosis and treatment is only part of the animal charity’s work with Britain’s homeless pets. Just as with any pet and owner fortunate enough to a have a roof over their heads, regular health checks, vaccinations and follow-up appointments are all part of assuring a pet’s continuing well being even after the crisis has passed.

Now an officially registered charity, StreetVet operates in Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Plymouth, Birmingham, Cheltenham, Southampton as well as in London and Cornwall. In their first year and a half, over 200 street dogs were vaccinated, microchipped (now a legal requirement), treated for fleas and medicated against parasites such as lungworm. Other pets were prescribed pain relief and some even received surgery.

Veterinary and Public Support: Vital for Pet Charities

As with all charities helping people or pets, StreetVet and Blue Cross are dependent on the generosity of the public, veterinary professionals and specialists in veterinary supplies and equipment. Vetlab supplies helps support animal charities through preferential relationships in the supply of veterinary laboratory equipment, laboratory consumables and diagnostic test kits.

Contact us about our Charity Discounts! Telephone: 01798 874567 and we will be delighted to help you.

Key Role For Vets In Animal Activities Welfare Act

Posted on by Les Ellison
Key Role For Vets In Animal Activities Welfare Act

The 2018 Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations govern the trading, breeding and boarding of cats or dogs, also the hiring of horses and the keeping or training of animals for exhibition. The Act confirms veterinarians as central to animal welfare and the control of infectious kennel diseases such as Parvovirus and Canine Distemper.

Animal Welfare Protection and Regulation in One Comprehensive Act

The new law, which came into force on 1 October 2018, places all the regulations governing animal breeding, selling and boarding in England into one comprehensive Act. The new Act reinforces the legal protection of commercially housed animals from the risk of suffering and disease. This protection is particularly relevant to kennels and commercial puppy breeding establishments.

Commercial Dog Husbandry Standards Raised and Modernised

Previously, the setting and enforcing of standards in dog breeding and boarding centres was spread over a number of animal welfare acts including the Pet Animals Act 1951, Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, Breeding of Dogs Act 1973, Breeding of Dogs Act 1991, Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 and latterly the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.

Registering and Licensing Dog Breeders and Sellers

Some of the Act’s most significant features related to health care and welfare standards in boarding kennels and dog breeding establishments. The housing of dogs and puppies under strict hygiene standards, and in accommodation that can be easily cleaned and thoroughly disinfected, is now mandatory in all commercial dog facilities.

Detailed record keeping is made mandatory and open to inspection. Records must include information on veterinary treatments, disease control, preventative healthcare and cleaning routines. The emphasis on health care and disease prevention confirms the central role of the veterinarian in the effective operation of the 2018 Act.

Online Advertising Standards and Puppy Health Aftersales Planning

The Act stipulates that breeding establishments must register their licenses with their veterinary surgeon and agree on an on-going health care plan to accompany all puppies sold. Online advertising of dogs for sale must include details of the seller’s licence number, country of origin and country of residence.

The 2018 Animal Activities Welfare Act creates a legal requirement for dog breeders, boarders, trainers and traders to protect their animals from suffering and disease.

By providing expert advice relating to hygiene and husbandry, together with early diagnosis of emerging threats, Vets play a central role in the prevention and containment of canine diseases including ‘social risk’ infections such as Parvovirus and Distemper.

For further information about our diagnostic test kits Telephone: 01798 874567 or visit our website www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk

TIC All The Right Boxes With TIC Cell Counting

Posted on by Les Ellison
TIC All The Right Boxes With TIC Cell Counting

Cell Counting Systems, TIC All the Boxes for Single Cell Testing

Time and resource-conscious veterinary laboratories need a precise and convenient cell counting system that’s reliable and simple to use. Bioanalytics GmbH TIC® Single Cell Counting System provides a complete, ready to use disposable system with a long shelf-life that’s suitable for both experienced and student veterinary microscopists.

Counting Single Cell Types In A Range Of Species

Veterinary laboratories are often required to examine mammalian, reptilian and avian body fluid samples for general counts of red cells or white blood cells, or provide particular assessments of eosinophil, leukocyte, reticulocyte or thrombocyte numbers.

In the hands of experienced veterinary laboratory professionals, manual cell counting is generally accepted as the most reliable and precise estimation of total cell count in a sample of blood, synovial or other body fluid. Equipped with this well designed TIC® cell counting kit and an easy to use cell counting microscope, new and experienced operators can return equally precise total cell count figures.

Ready to Use Cell Counting Kits With A Long Shelf-Life

Ideally, the cell counting system of choice will be ready for immediate use when required, have a long shelf-life with minimal storage requirements, and include all of the reagents and materials required to sample, process and assess the specified cell type.

Each TIC® Full Kit provides sufficient reagents and consumables for 100 analyses tailored to the precise counting of one specific cell type.  For the convenience of frequent users, full kits include 100 disposable End-to-End glass capillary tubes and 100 Chamber Filling Capillaries.

Accurate Dilution Factors and Specific Cell Staining

Capillary collection tubes provide a safe, simple and economical means of collecting a precise volume of blood or other fluid. The filled tube can then be placed directly into the relevant single cell-type tube.

Pre-filled tubes ensure the correct dilution factor and consequent cell count accuracy. Each TIC® cell-type specific kit includes the relevant cell-specific stain premixed with the correct measured volume of diluent.

Precision and Practicality through Disposable Counting Chambers

Counting cells is made simple and reliable with disposable Bioanalytics glass Cell Counting Chambers. High-quality glass counting chambers provide superior performance compared to plastic chambers thanks to their shrinkage resistance, decreased risk of overfilling and reduced sample evaporation without resorting to humidity chambers.

Hemocytometer Neubauer Improved Disposable Slide

From the point of view of the busy veterinary laboratory manager, an important time-saving feature of the TIC® cell counting kit is the safely disposable nature of Bioanalytics glass Cell Counting Slides.

This feature not only removes the need for time-consuming washing, cleaning and storage of used materials but guarantees that each and every cell count is performed with the same high standard of first-use materials and reagents.

For further information or contact us on Tel: 01798 874567 and we will be delighted to help.

Vets Help Avoid Caregiver Burnout

Posted on by Les Ellison
Vets Help Avoid Caregiver Burnout

Pet Owners with Planned ‘Goals of Care’

Most pets are now considered equal partners of their owner’s household. More and more, this equality is placing a burden of care on owners of long-term and terminally ill pets previously seen only in caregivers to human family members. Consequently, vets are having to help pet owners avoid ‘caregiver burnout’ by focusing by guiding them toward agreed and achievable ‘Goals of Care’.

Caring For A Seriously Sick Companion Animal

Advances in veterinary diagnostics and treatment, coupled with changes in owners’ relationships with their pets, means that much more is possible and expected of veterinary medicine than ever before. The result is that almost all of pet owners will, at some time, find themselves caring for a seriously ill companion animal in a palliative care situation.

Veterinary professionals are encountering pet owners who choose to undertake long-term care where, in the past, euthanasia of a loved animal would have been considered the only humane option. Vets are also called upon to help relieve feelings of guilt and failure experienced by owners who, for sound reasons, have to resort to releasing their pet from further treatment or surgery.

Emotional And Mental Pressure

Caregiver burnout is already an acknowledged, stress-related issue in human medicine and no less real in caregivers providing long-term attention to loved and terminally ill pets. Such is the level of physical, emotional, and mental pressure on end-of-life caregivers that some suffer ‘caregiver burnout’ resulting in feelings of guilt, anxiety, and even depression.

Some experts in human Goals of Care conversation recommend that professionals follow the REMAP 5-step talking to help those lead caregivers toward the most appropriate system of care. In this model, the conversation between professional and caregiver opens by a ‘re-framing’ of the clinical position within the caregiver’s understanding of the patient’s illness and prognosis. Professionals must expect, listen, and attend to any ‘emotional response’ to the information they share with the caregiver.

Planning Treatment

Only when expectations, wishes, and choices have been clarified with both caregiver and patient – in a human illness situation – should the professional begin to ‘map out choices’ regarding future treatment. Professional ‘alignment’ with the caregiver’s and patient’s concerns and values ensures the final stage of ‘planning treatment’ will help accomplish the agreed goals of care. Adopting a similar process, in relation to serious and terminally ill companion animals may significantly reduce the likelihood of caregiver burn out in pet owners.

Vetlab Supplies Ltd

VetCompass Companion Animal Surveillance

Posted on by Les Ellison
VetCompass Companion Animal Surveillance

Where Vets Go When They Need to Know

Evidence-based veterinary testing, diagnosis and treatment depends on the ready availability of reliable information and statistical data. VetCompass, operated and maintained by the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is claimed as the world’s largest merged database of veterinary clinical records.

Risk Factors and Demographics in Companion Animal Disorders

The title VetCompass comes from a contraction of ‘Companion Animal Surveillance System’ a not-for-profit collaboration between the RVC and the University of Sydney. This international initiative aims to collate information and data on the range and frequency of domestic pet health issues. Analysis of the collected data provides veterinary professionals with the tools they need to identify important trends, risk factors and demographics in companion animal disorders.

VetCompass collects clinical and veterinary laboratory data from vets and vet labs in general practice on a day to day basis. The pooled data from a wide range of sources is then merged into an accessible single database making available the vast amount of data that would otherwise remain hidden away in thousands of unconnected local practice records.

Information from Almost 6 Million Animals

VetCompass began as pilot project collating data on the antibiotic and glucocorticoid treatments dispensed to pet animals in a small number of UK veterinary practices. From 2009, the initiative grew to include information from almost 6 million animals. Collaboration with the University of Sydney began in 2013 as ‘VetCompass Australia’. A targeted project, ‘VetCompass Equine’, designed to gather data on ailments and health risks to horses was launched in 2016.

The VetCompass approach to surveillance and data gathering has been applied to diseases ranging through epilepsy, cancer, skin disease, endocrinopathies and heart disease. As well as collating information on the disease, the project also gathers demographic facts and figures on such generalities as longevity and mortality, the occurrence of parasitism on pets and the frequency of accidents in dogs and cats.

Improved Road Safety Awareness

A recent VetCompass survey reported that although only 0.41% of dogs presented at UK vets were victims of road traffic collisions (RTC), almost 25% of those dogs subsequently died or required euthanasia. One demonstration of the benefit of such a large data set is the amount of detail it contains. The survey showed that male dogs were 40% more likely than females to suffer an RTC. Animals aged three years or less were almost 3 times more susceptible to RTC that dogs of 14 years or more. The authors hope that these facts will inform and encourage improved road safety awareness and better streetwise management of dog owners.

Visit our website to see our full range of Veterinary Products, www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk or contact us on 01798 874567.

Cat Watch UK

Posted on by Les Ellison
Cat Watch UK

Coming Soon to Britain’s Streets

Without diagnostic monitoring and management, feral populations place homed cats at risk of infection with FIV and FeLV, infestation with external parasites such as fleas and mites, and internal invaders including bacteria, viruses and intestinal or respiratory worms.

Understanding the Risk that Feral Felines Pose to Britain’s Pet Cats

Cat welfare charity, Cats Protection, is promoting the UK’s first major census of Britain’s stray and feral cat population. Cat Watch isn’t just a counting exercise; it’s a serious attempt to monitor the health of an estimated 1 million homeless and abandoned cats living on Britain’s city streets. The shared social nature of homed pet and homeless strays makes total separation of the parallel populations practically impossible, underlining the need to know and understand the risk that feral felines pose to Britain’s 7 million pet cats.

The Cat Watch project, tested on the streets of Nottingham, Bradford, Luton, and the Everton district of Liverpool, and supported a wide spectrum of organisations including the Liverpool University Veterinary Practice, will give a clearer view of UK feral cat health and include a neutering and welfare programme.

Uncontrolled Breeding and Abandonment of Homed Cats

Cities such as Rome, Paris and Liege are famous for their more or less successful attempts to manage the health and numbers of their feral cats. The 2010 Liege project provided important data on the risk of pet cats to strays infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV), while an earlier trap-neuter-release project in Rome was undermined by the uncontrolled breeding and abandonment of homed cats.

Veterinary diagnostic testing kits for such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Rotavirus, Chlamydiosis as well as a combined diagnostic for FIV/FeLV provide the early detection essential to effective treatment and containment of disease in managed cat environments such as breeding centres and catteries. Veterinary laboratory tests also provide detection systems for external parasites including. The same tests provide an efficient resource for monitoring the health of feral and stray populations.

Three in Five Owned Cats are now Microchipped

Pet animal welfare charity BlueCross advises that most apparently stray cats do in fact have a home. Before any cat wandering into your home or garden is treated as a genuine stray, BlueCross suggest a few simple actions toward uniting the wanderer with their true owner. Talking to neighbours is a good start. Posters, press ads and local social ads will also spread the message. Attaching a paper collar to the cat with your contact details gives the cat’s owner an opportunity to confirm ownership. Pet charity, the PDSA, estimates that three in five owned cats are now microchipped. So a quick microchip scan at your local veterinary surgery or pet charity re-homing centre might well identify a cat’s owner, even the cat has travelled some considerable distance.

To find out more about our large range of veterinary diagnostic test kits visit our website: www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk or Telephone: 01798 874567

Domestic Poultry, Friends or Food?

Posted on by Les Ellison
Domestic Poultry, Friends or Food?

Chickens as Companion Animals

The chicken (Gallus gallus) we love to eat can trace its relatively short ancestry back to the Red Junglefowl of south-east Asia, with a smattering other similar junglefowl species helpfully bred into its genetic mix. The birds were first domesticated for their bright feathers, fighting prowess and watchfulness around 7000 years ago. It wasn’t until after WWII that chickens were meaty enough to compete with beef, pork and lamb became widely available on the nation’s dinner plate. Today, Farmer’s Weekly estimates that the British poultry sector contributes £3billion annually to the UK economy.

Intensively Reared for Meat and Eggs

By far the largest proportion of the UK chicken flock is intensively reared for meat and eggs. In the UK, the health and welfare of the British meat chicken flock are underpinned by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and, in particular, The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007.

Along with all captive flocks and herds, chickens bred for meat must be reared and housed in compliance with the Five Freedoms. These are spelt out in the Code of Recommendations for The Welfare of Livestock and summarised as: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behaviour and freedom from fear and distress. Responsibility falls on the livestock keepers who are required to be trained, competent, knowledgeable and, perhaps most importantly, self-motivated.

Veterinary Guidance is Essential

The Code recognises the importance of veterinary involvement in maintaining the standards of animal welfare envisaged in the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Veterinary guidance is essential to the formulation of effective health and welfare policy, comprehensive record keeping, and maintaining a preventative programme of vaccination and veterinary diagnostic testing, especially for avian influenza, chlamydiosis and salmonella.

For some enthusiastic chicken keepers, the domestication cycle has turned full circle, with small numbers of birds being kept for their aesthetic rather than economic value. The 2016 Pet Population Survey, carried out by The Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association, estimated the UK’s pet poultry population to be around 500,000 birds – a little higher than the number of hamsters, and lower than guinea pigs or rabbits.

Companion chickens certainly enjoy a higher standard of living than commercial birds, and many are ‘rescue birds have outlived their economic usefulness. Chickens may not be the new dogs (8.5million) or cats (7.5million), but look set to become as welcome on the patio as they have been on the plate.

To find out more about our large range of veterinary diagnostic test kits visit our website: www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk or Telephone: 01798 874567

BOAS Constriction in Dogs

Posted on by Les Ellison
BOAS Constriction in Dogs

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome

Kennel Club figures show a 3000% rise in ownership of pugs, bulldogs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Shih Tzus and boxers since 2007. Yet many owners remain unaware of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) and other health issues common to flat-faced, brachycephalic dog breeds.

Brachycephalic – meaning ‘short head’ – causes a squashing-up of the soft tissue within the dog’s nose and mouth. Folds of skin around the face further narrow and obstruct the dog’s airways causing wheezing, snorting and the struggle for breath that characterise flat-faced dogs that suffer Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome. But it’s not just breathing that’s a problem for flat-faced dog breeds.

Brachycephalic dogs can’t move enough air through their narrowed airways

In hot weather, we humans cool ourselves by sweating. Dogs can’t sweat. So when they’re too hot they have to cool down by moving more air over their moist tongues and airways. That’s why we see dogs ‘panting’ when they’re too hot. Brachycephalic dogs can’t move enough air through their narrowed airways so can easily overheat and even die in hot weather.

Flat-faced dogs still have the same number of teeth as longer nosed breeds. Fitting all 42 teeth into a shortened mouth causes overcrowded teeth to overlap making teeth and gums harder to keep clean and free from decay and disease.

High risk of conjunctivitis, ulcers and even sight-loss

Skin-folds around the face provide a hiding place for fleas, disease-carrying mites and other irritants that can cause hair loss and fungal skin infections. Shortened muzzles cause the eyes to stand out more allowing the thin film of protective moisture to dry more quickly risking conjunctivitis, ulcers and even sight-loss.

Selective breeding has so effectively accelerated the evolution of the larger head-size of flat-faced dogs that other, naturally evolving, parts of the anatomy haven’t been able to keep up. Brachycephalic bitches frequently require a caesarean section to deliver their pups. Pet charity, The Blue Cross, report that more than 80% of English Bulldog and French Bulldog pups are delivered by C-section births.

Pressure for change

Pressure for change is coming from a number of concerned sources. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Campaign for the Responsible Use of Flat Faced Animals (CRUFFA) have begun educating advertising agencies against using flat-nosed dogs in ad campaigns. The more extreme breed standards are under review by The Kennel Club and other international breed regulators.

But the most effective pressure may yet prove to be economic. The increased risk of corneal ulcers and breathing problems in brachycephalic breeds means that owners are likely to have to pay more when insuring flat-faced breeds, with Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) and related conditions possibly excluded from their insurance cover.

To find out more about our large range of veterinary diagnostic test kits visit our website: www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk or Telephone: 01798 874567

Diagnostic Testing for Koi Herpes Virus

Posted on by Les Ellison

Protecting Valuable Koi Stocks

Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) is a distressing and deadly disease of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and all its wild and ornamental varieties including mirror, leather, ghost and koi.

Within a carp stocked water, the disease is spread through fish to fish contact. However, poorly disinfected fishing tackle, fishery management equipment and even contaminated water, can transfer the virus between unconnected carp habitats.

Visual and Behavioural Changes

KHV infection shows itself as patches of white or brown dead tissue on the fish’s gills. Skin elsewhere on the fish might appear rough and flaking. A loss of protective mucus makes virus-infected carp feel dry when handled. Behavioural changes can include lethargy and hanging still in the water. KHV damage to a fish’s gills makes getting enough oxygen from the water stressful, so KHV affected fish may gather near aeration points such as inlets or fountains. Tissue damage leaves koi carp vulnerable to secondary invasion by parasitic fungi and bacteria.

As spring approaches, and water temperatures rise toward the virus’s activating temperature of 16-degree centigrade, carp fisheries and ornamental stocks – including mirror carp, leather carp, koi and ghost koi, risk large-scale mortalities of up to 100%.

Halting the movement of Infectious Stock 

The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI), Part A of the UK Government’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Cefas) requires notification whenever KHV is suspected in carp stocked waters. In response, the FHI may temporarily suspend access to the affected water and halt the movement of potentially infectious stocks and equipment. After mortalities have ceased, FHI may prohibit restocking with carp species until after the following summer. This is to ensure that seasonally warming water doesn’t provoke a renewed outbreak. Even so, there is no guarantee that replacement stock won’t pick up an infection from surviving fish.

There is no treatment or cure for KHV, and because the virus may persist in fish surviving any outbreak of the virus, only careful biosecurity-management and constant monitoring offer any protection against potentially devastating infection.

FASTest Koi HV is a 15-minute pond-side test giving a clear colour-change signal if Koi Herpes Virus is detected. Based on specific monoclonal antibody technology, the long shelf life kit requires no refrigerated storage.

To find out more about our large range of veterinary diagnostic test kits visit our website: www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk or Telephone: 01798 874567

Dog Shows Like Crufts Dog Show

Posted on by Les Ellison
Dog Shows Like Crufts Dog Show

Constitute a Powerful Lever for Change

As significant an event as the Boat Race, Grand National, Trooping of the Colours and The FA Cup Final, Crufts Dog Show has become embedded in British National Culture.

Founded by pet food marketing genius, Charles Cruft, The Kennel Club’s flagship – and the world’s largest – canine showcase has established a leading role in raising the standards for breed health and welfare in dogs.

First ‘all-breeds’ dog show

Joining Spratts Patent Company Ltd at the age of 14, Charles Cruft showed great flair and imagination as a salesman for the company which, in the 1860s, made everything from lightning rods to dog biscuits. Cruft’s idea of using dog shows to excite the imagination, and attract public attention to Spratt’sproducts, became reality in his first ‘all-breeds’ dog show at the Royal Agricultural Halls in 1891.

Dubiously pitched as ‘the biggest dog show in the world’, the first Crufts attracted an alleged 2,437 entries. The 22,000 to 24,000 dogs showing over today’s 4-day event, is evidence of the show’s phenomenal growth. In 1939, the organisation of the show passed from Cruft’s second wife and widow, Emma Cruft to The Kennel Club.

Evidence from breeders and experts in genetics

In 2010, The Kennel Club together with Dogs Trust jointly funded an enquiry by Sir Patrick Bateson FRS into the effects of dog breeding on dog health and welfare. The Inquiry took evidence from breeders and experts in genetics as well as from animal welfare and veterinary professionals. The work of the Cambridge University-based team included visiting dog shows.

In the conclusions to his inquiry, Sir Patrick said that he was “persuaded that showing and judging [dogs] constitute a powerful lever for change”. Acknowledging that judging at shows cannot be an exact science, Sir Patrick proposed that shows such as Crufts could become a mechanism for rewarding excellence and educating both breeders and show-goers.

Proposals included educating owners and prospective owners

The inquiry featured contributions by The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Veterinary (BVA) aimed at preventing extreme breeding problems before they occurred. Proposals included educating owners and prospective owners to change their preferences and expectations of breed characteristics and buy only from accredited dog breeders.

Sir Patrick suggested that making these improvements could be especially successful if dog show judges picked up on specific health or welfare problems – such as difficulties with movement or breathing – in particular breeds of dog.

The Legacy left by Charles Cruft is more than just another date on the national calendar. Crufts Dog Show is a positive and ongoing contribution to progress in the breeding health, welfare and veterinary care of dogs worldwide.

To find out more about our large range of veterinary diagnostic test kits visit our website: www.vetlabsupplies.co.uk or Telephone: 01798 874567

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