Anyone wishing to sell vertebrate animals as pets in the UK is obliged to apply for a license from their local authority under the Pet Animals Act (PAA) 1951. Drafted as 'An Act to regulate the sale of pet animals', this is a relatively small piece of legislation that is over 60 years old and stands out as something of an anomaly against other, more recent legislation. In short, pet shop inspections can sufer from a lack of joined-up legislation. This article looks at some of the background issues of pet shop licensing and gives practical advice on how to conduct such an inspection. Changes to the pet industry since 1951 Since the Pet Animals Act (PAA) 1951 came into being over 60 years ago, there have been several major changes to the pet industry. The pet trade itself has seen a rise in exotic pets; the number of reptiles kept as pets in the UK is estimated to be around eight million (EUARK 2012). There are also thought to be around one million pet rabbits (PAW 2013). Alongside this growth in popularity, there has been a reactive increase in our knowledge of their requirements, serviced by improved products available within the pet trade. There are also more specialist pet retail outlets, in particular for reptiles and aquatic species, in addition to large national chain stores. The enthusiasm for exotic species, and the potential money that can be made from them, can occasionally produce 'fads' that seriously challenge animal welfare (Figs 1, 2). Lance Jepson qualified from the University of Cambridge in 1989. He started his career in small animal and general practice, but is now director of Origin Vets, an exotic-only practice in South Wales. He has written many books on reptile and fish care, plus veterinary texts on exotic animal medicine.
A red panda was presented with an abscess affecting the left maxillary premolar 2 caused by a foreign body and opportunistic infection with Enterobacter cloacae. As this panda was intolerant to the handling associated with frequent medication, cefovecin (Convenia Zoetis) was chosen to treat the infection. Cefovecin is a long-acting antibiotic licensed for use in dogs and cats using a dose interval of 10-14 days. In many non-domestic species, a much shorter duration of action (less than 24 hours) has been reported, so clinical justification for its use was necessary. A dose of 40 mg/kg body weight given at 7-day intervals was chosen based on a clinical appraisal of the likely progression of this case. Therapeutic drug monitoring was used to validate this treatment; blood samples were collected at appropriate intervals and analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Plasma cefovecin was shown to have been maintained at values greater than 17 µg/ml for at least 7 days after each injection (minimum inhibitory concentration for the isolate 4 µg/ml-0.5 sssIr 8 Intermediate). Treatment was successful, and the tooth did not require removal.
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