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Webinar to explore the welfare of mutilated animals
AWWC chair Dr Natasha Lee will be leading the webinar.
WSAVA session will explore whether procedures are for cosmetic reasons or convenience.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has announced a free webinar exploring the welfare of mutilated animals.

Hosted by the WSAVA's Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee (AWWC), the session will investigate whether mutilations on dogs and cats are performed for cosmetic appearance or simply for owner convenience. 

The webinar will be led by AWWC chair and Malaysian veterinary surgeon, Dr Natasha Lee, who has a strong interest in animal welfare. She spearheaded a campaign to introduce animal welfare science into the Asian curriculum, providing training to more than 125 vet schools, building a network of animal welfare educators and conducting online courses.

Dr Lee will be joined by two AWWC members - Dr Heather Bacon, who has worked internationally on veterinary education and animal welfare projects for 15 years and Dr Cheryl Good, a past president of the NAVC and chief veterinary officer at Dearborn Family Pet Care in Michigan.

The session will explore how mutilation procedures affect animal welfare and highlight Dr Good's approach to preventing these practices in her own hospital.

The webinar, 'Tails, Ears and Claws – the Welfare of Mutilated Animals' – takes place at 3 pm on Sunday, 20 November. For further information and to register, click here

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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.