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Draught excluder mistaken for snake
Image - www.eveningexpress.co.uk
SSPCA called out over lookalike

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) dispatched an Animal Rescue Officer after receiving a call from a member of the public who was in some distress after coming across what she believed to be a 5ft snake in the loft of her rented home in Kingswells near Aberdeen. Upon closer investigation, Animal Rescue Officer Karen Hogg (pictured) rapidly determined that the large black and green snake was in fact a novelty draught excluder with the shape and pattern of a large snake, complete with a tongue made from red felt.

"We've rescued hundreds of snakes from properties in all sorts of unusual circumstances, so we had no reason to believe this might not be the real thing,” said Officer Hogg, who added that "This call-out really made us smile and given that we deal with cruelty and neglect day in day out, it was refreshing to go to a job where the 'animal' was completely unharmed."

The draught excluder, perhaps inevitably dubbed 'Sid', is now in the care of the SSPCA's Aberdeen Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre. 

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.