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Animalcare releases resources on senior pet care
"We hope to help practices put the health and wellbeing of senior pets back on the agenda" - James Beaumont.
Animalcare survey reveals opportunity for greater focus on senior pets. 

Animalcare has released a set of resources on senior pet care, entitled 'Making Senior Easier', in order to help veterinary professionals educate owners to ensure the wellbeing and health of senior pets.

The resources include health check materials, including a 'senior triage' form to be completed by owners, and a 'senior pet assessment form' which can be used as a checklist for practice staff, condition handouts for owners detailing common age-related issues, and generic short articles on age-related issues for use in newsletters and on websites. 

These resources have been created in response to a survey of RVNs, which highlighted the need for opportunities for greater focus on caring for senior pets in practice.

The survey found then fewer than three in 10 practices currently run senior pet clinics, alongside a clear view among all respondents that additional educational resources would be useful in supporting their efforts to engage with owners of senior pets. 

Key obstacles identified in running senior vet clinics were staffing issues and a lack of time, while seven in 10 survey respondents felt that clients did not understand the benefits of regular clinic attendance. 

Marketing manager at Animalcare, James Beaumont, commented on the new resources:  “We hope to help practices to put the health and wellbeing of senior pets back on the agenda. 

“To support them, we have created a suite of ‘Making Senior Easier’ resources to help them educate owners to ensure that their pets live longer and healthier lives.

“We hope that practices will find them useful and that they will help them, not only to provide a higher standard of care to pets as they get older, but also enable them to build stronger client relationships by offering a proactive approach to the care of senior pets.”

The resources are available to download at animalcare.co.uk/seniorpet, and any practices wishing for further information can contact Animalcare's head office on 01904 487687.

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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.