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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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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
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.