Vets launch pets health drive amid disease fears as credit crunch hits vaccinations

Published on Monday 1 June 2009 19:22

IT IS not just humans who apparently need a campaign to help them to stay in good health.

Now pets across Scotland are to be targeted in a scheme to help stamp out killer diseases by encouraging vaccination.

As part of National Vaccination Month, vets will urge pet owners to have their animals protected. It is estimated there are 11 million dogs, cats and rabbits at risk from potentially fatal diseases in the UK.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Kate Humble, TV wildlife and science presenter, who said: "The campaign aims to save lives and limit the spread of disease by offering pet owners the chance to vaccinate for a discounted rate during June."

The campaign comes after more than a quarter of vets reported concerns about falling levels of vaccination because of the credit crunch.

Research also suggests owners in some parts of the country are finding it harder to pay for the cost of vaccination – raising fears of disease "hot spots".

In Scotland, just under half of owners admit their pets are unvaccinated or overdue for a booster.

Of those questioned, 44 per cent said cost was the reason, compared with 71 per cent in the east of England and 64 per cent in the south-east.

A rising number of vets are reporting an increase serious diseases. One such threat is leptospirosis, which is carried by the rapidly rising rat population.

The disease, transmitted through rats' urine, can be picked up by dogs as they swim in rivers or even drink from puddles. It is often fatal. It can also be transmitted to people – a woman died last year after she was bitten by a wild rat in her garden.

Figures show that, in the past six months alone, leptospirosis was reported by 40 per cent of veterinary practices in the UK.

And research by the British Pest Control Association suggests that rat numbers are estimated to have swelled by 13 per cent in the past year. One practice in the Lothian area reported a case of leptospirosis caught by a dog paddling in floodwater.

Data from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's recent survey of pet diseases showed 57 per cent of veterinary practices reported incidents of the canine disease parvovirus in the previous six months.

Meanwhile, 87 per cent of vets had seen cases of cat flu, making it the most common feline disease.

Vets taking part in the campaign will be offering owners a full vaccination course for their pets for the price of a booster.

Horses, which will be included for the first time in the campaign to vaccinate, are susceptible to tetanus, which is found in bacteria in soil.

Owners can log on to www. vaccinationmonth.co.uk to download a voucher and find the nearest participating vet.