Leading vet claims pet welfare issues are improving
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Great strides are being made to improve pet welfare following the PDSA's alarming findings in their PAW Report published in November.
That's the view of PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Elaine Pendlebury, who told Pet Trade Xtra: “There are some serious challenges when it comes to animal wellbeing, but I approach the rest of 2013 with a sense of optimism.
"We know that vets, nurses, and all those that work with animals across the various professions are committed to improving pet wellbeing," said Elaine.
“Working with various other charities and partners within the industry, PDSA has a number of initiatives in the pipeline to help improve the accessibility of trusted pet care information.
"Making sure potential new owners know what a pet will need before they take one on, have access to relevant information at the point of sale, and know where to find further ongoing and reliable information on a pet’s care throughout its life will all help to support this goal.
“Another exciting part of the work that we do is through our five new Pet Wellbeing Nurses who deliver pet care talks in schools, community centres and pet stores. They will continue to help educate current and future pet owners so they know what a pets’ needs are and how to meet them. Our aim is to improve the long-term wellbeing of pets."
Towards the end of the year PDSA will be publishing its third PAW Report update, which will provide an opportunity to start to identify trends in pet health and wellbeing.
“I’m really looking forward to the next PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report update," said Elaine.
"Our latest one was released in November 2012 and outlined the most important health and welfare issues facing the UK’s pet population.
"The most concerning issues identified were rising rates of obesity, problem behaviour, lack of preventive care and lack of owner knowledge about a pet’s five welfare needs.
"Although the figures made for difficult reading, they provided the veterinary and pet trade professions with robust information to help support activity for the coming year."
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