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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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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.