Latest news with #vets
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Climate
- BBC News
How to keep your dog safe in a heatwave
As a guide dog handler of 26 years, my heart falls every time I hear the fatigued pants of dogs in heatwave welfare charity the RSPCA says that dogs are 10 times more likely to suffer heat-related illnesses from exercising in hot weather than from overheating in cars. Both are tremendously bad for your is because canines have a very limited ability to regulate their do not sweat like humans – only perspiring a small amount through the pads on their paws, with their often thick fur coats meaning their core temperature can rise quickly in high temperatures. Heavy panting, difficulty breathing, excessive drooling, lethargy and drowsiness are all key signs that your dog is too extreme cases, dogs vomit and finally lose consciousness. If your dog is in trouble, the RSPCA says you should move the dog to a shaded and cool area and immediately pour cool, but not very cold, water over the dog, avoiding their head. The charity says wet towels should not be placed over the animal because it could cause heat to become trapped. If possible , allow the dog to drink small amounts of cool water and continue to pour cool water over them, but not so much that they begin to shiver. When breathing settles, head straight to the plea to dog owners is not to walk or exercise your dog in hot weather. Please understand that this is not fear-mongering. Your dog can overheat in moments and it is totally avoidable in most cases. How to sleep in the heatWhen is a heatwave 'really' a heatwave?What are the heat exhaustion and heatstroke symptoms?How to keep your home cool in hot weather It struck me as unbelievable frankly this weekend that while I, as a blind person was being sighted guided by my girlfriend in 30C (86F) weather because it was too hot for my working dog to be out, we passed nearly a dozen dog walkers obliviously walking their best friends into danger at around 1pm.I know not everyone is an experienced dog handler – but I can't begin to imagine how anyone could fail to notice the obvious discomfort, the heavy panting, the foot-dragging and laboured breathing in direct sunlight that had us reaching for our iced-water bottles. So what can we do to protect our animals in hot weather?For starters, when the mercury hits 20C, I place the back of my hand on the pavement to check I can comfortably keep it there. It's a great indicator that your dog's pads will be ok too. I always pack a folding water travel bowl and carry chilled or iced water. In addition, when the temperature hits 24C or above, I start asking whether it's safe to be out at all and usually decide at 25C and above that it's too hot to walk my dog more than a few feet from my front door to an air-conditioned what about exercise?Your dog needs life more than it needs a walk. On super-hot days, keep your dog indoors and ideally air-conditioned or in a cool room with a dog will be fine without a walk for a few days but you could provide playtime at home by throwing a toy. If you are planning to walk your dog, do it in the very early morning or very late evenings. If you walk your dog in extreme heat you are literally putting their lives at risk. They're too important – keep them safe, cool and reporting by Molly Stazicker.
BBC News
13 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Dog owners in East Yorkshire urged to add What3Words to microchip
Dog owners in East Yorkshire are being urged to add location app details to their pet's comes after a homeless man was reunited with his dog due to its microchip being registered with What3Words - an app which gives every three square metres of the world a unique three-word Riding of Yorkshire Council said the additional information was particularly useful in tracing owners without a fixed address, or in rural are also being reminded to update their pet's details if they move house. By law, all dogs in the UK must have a registered microchip implanted by the time they are eight-weeks-old. Residents can ask their vets to implant microchips if they do not already have one, the council Lyn Healing, cabinet member for communities and public protection, said "It's vital to keep dogs safe, and to ensure that they can be returned to their owners if lost." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Eleven dead newborn puppies found by road near Dereham
The bodies of 11 newborn puppies were found on the side of a RSPCA said many of the grey puppies still had their umbilical cords attached and their bodies "were strewn along a grass verge" in the village of Hoe, near Dereham, in Norfolk earlier this month. The puppies were fairly large and thought to be some kind of bull breed, the charity added that vets thought it was unlikely all would have been stillborn or have died from natural causes, but a cause of death could not be established. A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: "This was an incredibly distressing discovery for the member of the public who found these dead puppies."There are no injuries on the puppies, or obvious cause of death, but the circumstances in which they were found is suspicious."The charity said it suspected the puppies may have been thrown from a moving vehicle, "given they were found randomly spaced along the verge and not all together".The charity added it was also concerned for the welfare of the mother of the puppies, and officers were keen to find RSPCA appealed for anyone with information to get in touch. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Irish Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Supply risk identified for some UK animal medicines shipped to North
Vets, farmers and pet owners in Northern Ireland will continue to have post- Brexit access to animal medicines from the UK in the 'vast majority of cases', the UK government has said. However, it warned of a 'risk of disruption' remaining for a small number of critical products. The comments were contained in a policy paper on Britain's approach to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland, published by Northern Secretary, Hilary Benn, on Thursday. From January 1st, 2026, veterinary medicines from Britain distributed in Northern Ireland must comply with EU rules agreed between London and Brussels as part of the Windsor Framework . READ MORE Concerns had been raised by vets and politicians that up to half the veterinary medicines used in Northern Ireland could become unavailable because firms in Britain would choose to stop supplying them rather than carry out the additional retesting and relabelling required to sell them in the North after the cut-off date. [ DUP leader: Windsor deal is an opaque mess Opens in new window ] The paper said London's current expectation was that there would be 'very limited disruption, with fewer than 20 products due to face discontinuation that we consider are likely to result in significant adverse impacts if not addressed.' It announced two schemes which it said would provide additional resilience and 'plug any emerging critical gaps' by allowing vets to continue to access medicines from Britain. The UK government said these were within the scope of the Windsor Framework so did not require negotiation with, or approval from, the EU. It is understood the bloc is aware of, and comfortable with, the move. From January 1st, the Veterinary Medicines Health Situation Scheme will 'permit the use of suitable alternative products from outside Northern Ireland' by professionals without any additional red tape 'if the situation of animal or public health so requires'. A separate Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme will allow vets use specific individual medicines not authorised or available in Northern Ireland when needed, again without any additional administrative burden or certification. The UK government also said any veterinary medicines already on the market in Northern Ireland can remain so until their expiry date, even if it is after the cut-off from January 1st. The move was strongly criticised by some unionist parties. DUP MP Carla Lockhart said the 'stark reality' was that the UK government had 'chosen to prioritise placating the EU' over protecting the interests of animals, vets, farmers and the wider agri-food sector in Northern Ireland. Instead of resolving the problem, she said, London had 'simply issued another paper and acquiesced to EU law that does not deal substantively with the concerns raised by the industry and does not enjoy cross-community consent'. Traditional Unionist Voice leader, Jim Allister, said that 'instead of standing up for Northern Ireland, the [UK] government has largely rolled over, devoting its energy to encouraging reorientation of our supplies so that they come from the EU, not GB.'
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Brexit: New schemes to secure veterinary medicine supplies to NI
Two new schemes to help guarantee the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland are to be introduced by the UK 2026, the supply of those medicines will be covered by EU rather than UK rules, a requirement of Northern Ireland's Brexit led to concerns that many medicines could become unavailable in NI as they have traditionally been supplied from elsewhere in the government now believes the majority of medicines will remain available due to suppliers adapting their supply lines. What is covered by the schemes? Those remaining medicines which are at risk of withdrawal will be covered by the new schemes, allowing them to be supplied from Great a statement, the government said that out of about 3,000 products licensed for supply in Northern Ireland, its "current expectation is that there will be very limited disruption, with fewer than 20 products due to face discontinuation that we consider are likely to result in significant adverse impacts if not addressed".The main measure to address those impacts is the Veterinary Medicine Internal Market Scheme under which vets can order medicines from GB if it is impractical to get them from the can also hold stocks of products made available under that scheme rather than having to order them for each patient. The government said vets would be able to buy a limited amount of products under the scheme pre-emptively where, in their professional judgment, the products may become necessary in the course of their treatment of specific new arrangements are not a negotiated outcome with the EU, rather they are unilateral actions taken by the it is understood the EU has been kept aware of what the UK was developing and that the new schemes are compliant with EU Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the government was confident that Northern Ireland would continue to have access to the veterinary medicines necessary to protect the health and welfare of said further guidance would be issued "in due course" and the government would continue to "monitor emerging risks to animal health and veterinary medicine availability". "Intensive engagement will continue through 2025 and beyond to address any gaps," he added.
