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Report highlights impact of COVID-19 on companion animal welfare
The report calls on the animal health community to encourage people to contact their vet with any new pet health concerns.
NOAH calls for collaborative approach to mitigate the ongoing impact of the crisis.

A new report highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on the welfare of pets has been published by the National Office for Animal Health (NOAH).

The report, 'COVID-19 and Companion Animal Health & Welfare: Impact and Considerations for the UK' looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the availability of veterinary services, and the impact this could have on companion animal welfare.

In the report, NOAH makes suggests several actions that Government, academia and pets owners can take to mitigate the ongoing impact of the crisis. Among these include:
  • encouraging people to contact their vet with any new pet health concerns
  • encouraging pet owners to continue with routine treatments (such as parasite control)
  • encouraging the veterinary sector to develop new working practices to meet the requirements of the 'new normal'.

The report also calls on the animal health community to monitor and research the impact of the pandemic on pet health and welfare. In turn, this would help the industry understand the full impact of reduced consultations on timely diagnosis, and the treatment of conditions that are potentially life-limiting or associated with poor welfare.

NOAH Chief Executive Dawn Howard commented: “Even as lockdown measures have started to be eased, the COVID-19 crisis still continues to have an impact on how companion animal veterinary care can take place. It has brought into sharp focus the need to support responsible pet ownership by helping to enable safe access to veterinary services and the need to continue to monitor any impact on animal health and welfare.

“We are calling on the animal health community to work together to raise awareness: to help pet owners more fully understand their pets’ needs and to support them and the veterinary profession in addressing them safely at this challenging time.

“We believe there is also a Governmental responsibility to act, with the need for a Government minister to have responsibility for both pet health and welfare,” she said.

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Free CPD announced for BVNA members

News Story 1
 Zoetis is to present a CPD event for free to members of the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA).

Led by veterinary consultant Ruth Moxon, the one-hour online session is designed to help veterinary nurses discuss parasiticide options with clients. It will advise on structuring recommendations, factors for product choice and moving away from 'selling'.

'How do you recommend parasite treatments to your clients?' will be presented on Tuesday, 20 May at 7.30pm. It is free for BVNA members, with 15.00 tickets for non-members.

Veterinary nurses can email cpd@bvna.co.uk to book their place. 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.