applied and animal welfare 1

intro to vet patients in the uk and intro to native wildife species

barriers to people bringing their pets to practice

Cost

mental/physical barriers to attending

Fear of embarrassment/ judgement about the condition of pet

Fear of an incident with other pets

Time constraints. Work schedules and practice opening times

‘forgetting ‘ to take pets in (email reminders avoid this)

Barriers to people bringing their pet to practice

Species-specific factors ( specialist of exotic services)

Previous negative experience

cultural/personal beliefs

Limited understanding of clinical signs/preventative vet treatments/ misinformation spread on social media

kennel club dog breeds - sporting breeds

gundog, hound and terrier

non-sporting breeds

working, toy, pastoral , utility

methods of identification of animals : microchipping

Dogs microchipped - 8 weeks ago

Cats must be microchipped by 20 weeks old

up to £500 if cats and dogs are not microchipped

governing council of the cat fancy - 7 major groups

long hairs, semi-short hairs, British short hairs, foreign , Burmese, oriental, siamese and balinese

methods of identifying animals

DNA barcoding - analyses a specific region of dna

barcode is compared to a reference library

tattoo

leg bands

ear clipping - useful for identifying neutered strays

sexual dismorphism -colour/characteristics can be used to identify sex of an animal e.g most ginger cats are male

GCCF : british

Chartreux

Selkirk Rex

Manx

Siamese and oriental

balinese

siamese

oriental

semi-long hair

birman

ragdoll

somali

maine coon

burmese

asian

suffolk

australian mist

tonkinese

persian

persian

exotic shorthair

foreign

bengal

snowshoe

sphynx

toyger

cornish rex

siberian husky

maltese

german sherpherd dog

west highland white terrier

french bulldog

smooth coated hungarian vizsla

deerhound

endemic species

a species that is native to the UK and is restricted to a certain region (single specific locale)

native

a species that an animal species can live, grow and reproduce naturally in a specific region or ecosystem without human intervention

endemic vertebrates species eg.

scottish crossbill

red grouse

Some species of mouse :

Orkney vole

▪ Skomer vole

▪ St Kilda House Mouse

▪ St Kilda Field Mouse

common observed native species

Pigeons

▪ Owls (barn owls, tawney owls, little

owls)

▪ Hedgehogs

▪ Red kites

▪ Buzzards

▪ Rabbits

▪ Hares

▪ Deer (muntjacs)

▪ Foxes?

examples of non-native species

Grey squirrel

❑Rose-ringed parakeet

❑Signal crayfish

❑Fallow deer

❑Canada goose

❑Black rat

❑Muntjac deer

❑Sika deer

❑Black swan

non native invasive species

Widely Spread

❑Chinese mitten crab

❑Egyptian goose

❑Grey squirrel

❑Muntjac deer

❑Signal crayfish

❑Terrapins

legislation - animal welfacre act 2006

-Main animal welfare legislation placing a duty of care on anyone

responsible for an animal to meet its welfare needs

▪ AWA makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering

wildlife and countryside act 1981

▪ This protects wild birds, certain wild animals, plants, and their habitats.

▪ It makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure, take, possess, or disturb

or trade protected species without lawful authority

Responsibility of the veterinary team in

caring for native species

Animal Welfare Act

▪ Protects animals no longer in a wild state from harm/unnecessary suffering

▪ Rehabilitators caring for wild animal casualties are responsible for them for the purposes of

the Act

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Defines a ‘wild bird’ and ‘wild animal’ as ‘any bird or animal which was living wild before it

was taken into captivity for the purposes of rehabilitation’

▪ All birds are protected and provisions are made for veterinarians to temporarily house ill or

injured birds in Section 4 of the Act

Animals prohibited from release

hose covered within section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). The

following list provides examples but is not extensive:

▪ Grey squirrel

▪ American mink

▪ Ring-necked parakeet

▪ Signal crayfish

wildlife species

Treated wildlife or exotic species cannot automatically be released back into the

wild if they are listed species.

wildlife checklists

immediate first aid and pain relief → patient assessment → provisional diagnosis and prognosis → treatment (including euthanasia ) → housing/referral to wildlife rehabilitation centre

Wildlife organisations - ❑RSPCA

Largest animal welfare charity in the UK

▪ Involved in rescues and rehabilitation, research, public education and guidance

▪ Lots of useful resources

The Wildlife Trusts

Lots of useful information about wildlife, habitats and projects aimed at protecting

wildlife and the environment

❑Tiggywinkles

▪ The Wildlife Hospital Foundation

▪ Specialist hospital focusing on rescuing and rehabilitating British wildlife

❑Lafaber

have some excellent advisory/informative resources aimed at veterinary professionals