BSAVA Companion - 2025, 12, December

A PDF of the full December Companion

BSAVA PetSavers early-career research fellowship grant call reopens; Scanning microchips prior to euthanasia: Defra questionnaire; BSAVA Awards 2026 – nominations now open

BVA, BSAVA and BVZS have updated their joint Policy Position (31 October 2025) on the Responsible Use of Parasiticides in cats and dogs to reflect new evidence which has emerged about the potential environmental impacts of these products.

Update on the Government’s new safeguarding declarations under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations requiring pre-import testing for Brucella canis for any dog commercially imported from Romania into Great Britains from 7 October 2025.

BSAVA Policy reports on the Government Risk Assessment on the likelihood of Brucella canis incursion into Great Britain from another country.

The Competitions and Marketing Authority (CMA) has published (15 October 2025) its Provisional Decision Report (PDR) on the Market Investigation (MI) into veterinary services for household pets. BSAVA Policy provides us with an update of the report.

   The volunteering opportunities with BSAVA are many and varied starting from before graduation in the form of BSAVA Student Representatives. Vet students Chelsea Innis from Harper & Keele Vet School and Aimée Cosgrove from SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) spoke to Companion about their BSAVA involvement and how rewarding they have found the experience.

 Gemma L Walmsley received PetSavers funding for a student research project which was part of the feline healthy ageing clinic at the University of Liverpool. Student Reid Shrubsole undertook the project entitled Evaluation of feline cognitive dysfunction in a prospective ageing and welfare study in cats (CatPAWS), with support from Alex German, Kelly Eyre, Eithne Comerford and Gina Pinchbeck, and describes her experience here.

The Ethical challenges and moral injury in veterinary practice session held at BSAVA Congress 2025 set out to explore ethical challenges and moral injury using case studies to illustrate situations in which they can occur in veterinary practice; understand how welfare science can help to support our teams; and identify some of the tools and resources available to support veterinary teams when confronted with ethical or moral dilemmas. Sally Everitt, Clinical Lead for Evidence at RCVS Knowledge, provides a summary of the session with contributions on moral injury from Hamish Morrin, a lecturer at the University of Lancashire, and Caroline Allen, Chief Veterinary Officer at the RSPCA, who wrote the case study section.

 Dr Alex Marko is one of the Directors of the ProSalus Foundation (formerly the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Foundation), which works to transform animal health and welfare in the world’s areas of greatest need by strengthening the skills, knowledge and resources of veterinarians. Dr Marko works in small animal practice in Namibia, with a special interest in emergency and critical care and anaesthesiology. She is Chair of the Veterinary Association of Namibia, a role which sees her involved in the delivery of continuing education to veterinarians across the country and beyond. Dr Marko contacted the BSAVA to extend thanks to the Association for its generous support of AFSCAN Congress 2024.

BSAVA Policy summarizes the Small Animal Expert Group annual report findings for 2024.

 Helen Styles is the VetChoir UK Musical Director and Founder. John Bonner spoke to Helen to find out how her career progressed from working as a vet to enjoying all that music has to offer.

Article abstracts from the latest issue of JSAP.

A calendar of forthcoming online and in-person events.

  For the sixth year running, Cats Protection has published its annual Cats and Their Stats report, giving a snapshot of how cat ownership is evolving in the UK.1 BSAVA Scientific Editor, Lizzie Croose reports…