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Linnaeus family acquires Pets at Home's specialist centres
Linnaeus has acquired Pet's at Home's Specialist Division of five veterinary referral practices.
Five referral practices and 680 staff will transfer to Mars-owned firm.

Veterinary services provider Linnaeus has announced that, subject to completion, it will acquire Pets at Home’s Specialist Division of five veterinary referral practices.

The move will see Pets at Home's entire portfolio of five referral practices become part of the Linnaeus family – part of Mars Veterinary Health Group - including around 680 staff. 

The Specialist Division includes Anderson Moores near Winchester, Dick White Referrals near Cambridge, North West Veterinary Referrals and Eye Vet, both in Runcorn and Veterinary Specialists Scotland in Livingston.

Linneaus said that all services will retain their existing branding and will initially continue with business as usual, with all staff transferring to Linnaeus after completion.

Bart Johnson, Linnaeus CEO  said: “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues and these fantastic and highly-respected referral practices into the Linnaeus family and to grow our offering further, taking another step towards making an even better world for pets."

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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. 

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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.