New government campaign surrounding pet fishing

In the months leading up to Christmas when there is anecdotally a spike in people considering pets as a gift, Petfished is a government campaign encouraging people to source their new puppy, kitten, cat or dog responsibly.

Around 88% of vets have seen an increase in the number of pets with conditions linked to suspected low welfare breeding and 66% have seen a rise in specific breeds or crosses of puppies or kittens they suspected came from low-welfare conditions, most often French Bulldogs and Cockapoos.

On average, cat and dog owners came across three suspicious sellers when last purchasing their pet and less than half (43%) visited the seller in-person in the animal’s home when researching their recent pet purchase.

Aston spoke to UK’s chief veterinary officer at DEFRA Dr Christine Middlemiss.

Photo by Berkay Gumustekin on Unsplash