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Guide Dog pups enjoy Easter treat hunt
Puppy peeking through bunny ears
Six-week-old guide dog puppies have enjoyed an Easter treat hunt at the charity Guide Dogs’ National Breeding Centre in Leamington Spa.
New experiences help puppies prepare for their futures

Easter arrived early this week for 10 adorable puppies who went on an Easter treat hunt organised by Guide Dogs.

The six-week-old puppies are from a litter of 10 labradors - Albie, Pippin, Spencer, Ceecee, Maddie, Hermia, Pickle, Pastel, Sasha and Cathie.

Staff hid bits of kibble around a specially-decorated area to encourage the young pups to forage.

“Guide Dogs encourages its puppies to have as many different experiences as possible, so they’ll grow up to be confident guide dogs,” said a Guide Dogs spokesperson.

“While the spring-themed search was great fun, it also helped to prepare the pups for their futures as life-changing guide dogs.”

The hunt took place at the charity’s National Breeding Centre, Leamington Spa, which has the capacity to breed 1,500 puppies a year.

Founded in 1934, Guide Dogs gives people with sight loss a new start in life through guide dogs and other services.

The charity enables people that are blind or partially sighted to take a new path to freedom and independence after losing their sight.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.