BSAVA News

BSAVA News Call for reform of Dangerous Dogs Act ZHAIRMAN of the British Veteri- iary Association’s Dangerous logs Panel, Mr John Bower, has landed a list of proposed amend- nents to the operation of the langerous Dogs Act 1991 to Mr Indrew Bowden MBE MP; he ias agreed to deliver them to the 3ome Secretary.

Mr Bower said that ‘Whilst the BVA supports the Government’s 3im of protecting the public from jog attacks, the wide ranging mterpretation of the Act is result- ing in pet dogs of mixed origin 3eing seized and condemned as pit bull terriers. These dogs have not behaved aggressively and iheir only offence is that, in some people’s eyes, they have a similar 3ppearance to “a dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier” as defined by the Act. The absence 3f a clear breed standard for iden- tifying pit bull terriers is the :awe of this confusion and it is making criminals out of law abid- ing citizens.’ He emphasised that 3s well as controlling the problem D f aggressive dogs, the Act was being used to destroy family pets who had shown no signs of 3ggression and the BVA was therefore once again urging the Sovernment to remove the mandatory death sentence from the Act in order to give courts dis- cretion when passing sentence.

The BVA was also very con- cerned about the welfare of dogs seized under the Act which were being kept, often in solitary con- finement, in kennels for many months before coming to trial. Mr

Bower stressed that even in the most placid animal this could result in temperament and wel- fare problems.

The BVA had therefore endeav- oured to make a number of con- structive suggestions as to ways in which the Home Office could alleviate the distress caused by the Act including: 0 The setting up of regional ex-

pert panels to assist the police in identifying dogs before deciding whether to charge the owner;

0 A veterinary surgeon to micro- chip dogs as soon as they are seized by the police and to carry out a general health inspection:

0 Owners to be permitted to apply for bail for their dogs (except where an aggravated offence has been committed) with bail operating in the same way as for humans:

0 Once bail has been agreed dogs to be returned to their owners pending trial thus reducing the stress and possible welfare problems for the dogs as well as placing the burden of responsibility on the owner;

0 The mandatory death sentence for non-aggravated offences to be removed and courts given discretion to decide on appro- priate sentences. As a result of current wide ranging interpre- tations in the courts as to what constitutes ‘a dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier’ any dog bearing a resemblance to this ‘type’, even when nei-

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Wet film X-ray processors DID you know that by law from January 1, 1992, all wet film X-ray processors are required to have a double check valve (non-return) fitted to the cold water supply? This is to ensure that photographic chemicals are not siphoned into the mains in the event of the water being cut off. This requirement also applies to dental scalers laboratory equipment as well as hosepipes.

Double check valves can easily be obtained from DIY shops or plumbers merchants, and hosepipe adaptors with such valves are also available.

JOHN HIRD Chairman

Members Services Committee

ther parent is of pit bull terrier ancestry, is at risk of being seized by the police. Members of the public should be made aware of this problem and given the opportunity to regis- ter their dogs. The Index of Exempted Dogs therefore needs to be reopened and to remain open indefinitely. Alternatively, a more precise

Con tin ued overleaf

CONTENTS W Call for reform of

Dangerous Dogs Act 149 W Pollution assessment 150 W Self-test quiz: Legislation

concerning veterinary medicines 151

W ‘Friends for life’ 152 W Hot off the press for

BSAVA Congress 153 W 4000 people can’t be wrong 154

Congress Folk Club 154 B Enter the BSAVA squash

tournament now! 154 W Self-test quiz: Answers 155 W Diary 156 Editor: Simon Wolfensohn Archway Veterinary Surgery, 21 High Street, Highworth, Wiltshire SN6 7AG.

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BSAVA News

definition of the type of dog that the Act is intended to cover should be produced. Mr Bower noted that adoption

of these proposals would reduce kennelling costs, which in legal aid cases are met by the public purse and in other cases would give owners a choice as to whether to contest a case without the additional worry of pro-

hibitively expensive kennelling bills on top of the legal fees incurred. The proposals would also enable experts to examine dogs in the familiar surround- ings of their own homes thus avoiding kennel induced stress and giving an opportunity to get an accurate picture of the dogs temperament.

In conclusion, Mr Bower stated

that the BVA believed that the above measures would reduce unnecessary suffering of pet dogs and their owners, clarify the situ- ation for the police and courts and reduce the costs of the Act to the public and individuals while at the same time enabling the Government to continue to pro- tect the public from dangerous dogs.

Health and safety at work

Pollution assessment Anaesthetic gas pollution

MEMBERS are reminded that they have been obliged since Jan- uary 1990 under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations to minimise the risk both to their staff and themselves of exposure to anaes- thetic pollutants. Now that Health and Safety Inspectors have started to visit practice premises on a wider scale it appears that this is a major con- sideration for small animal prac- titioners. But don’t worry - HELP IS AT HAND!

As a result of extensive efforts by the BSAVA in conjunction with the Health and Safety Exec- utive (HSE) and National Health Service (NHS) the problem can be satisfactorily tackled from two directions.

Monitoring Launched at Congress this year

will be a national monitoring ser- vice for practices who use nitrous oxide, which is the main cause for concern at human hospitals. A monitoring scheme for those who use halothane and oxygen alone is under active considera- tion but as yet the HSE have not agreed an occupational exposure standard (OES) for the agent.

Unlike radiation monitoring, pollution assessment does not have to be continuously carried out. If initial levels of nitrous

oxide are high, active steps to reduce pollution should be taken and this should be followed by a further evaluation. Once satisfac- tory levels are achieved, monitor- ing should be carried out every six months and all records pre- served for inspection by the HSE.

What is an excessive level of nitrous oxide? A good question which has not yet been answered. However, it is likely that an OES of less than 250 ppm on a time weighted average (TWA) will be chosen. Good NHS hospitals currently work to 100 ppm in theatres and recovery areas.

Information about the monitor- ing scheme will be available from the BSAVA stand at Congress, together with advice about reduc- ing pollution.

Scavenging Whether you monitor your the-

atre or not, you still have to get rid of waste anaesthetic gases. Any system is better than noth- ing; but passive systems and acti- vated charcoal absorbers have drawbacks which unsettle your COSHH assessor. An active scav- enging unit which matches the NHS standard for such units has been developed by the Members Services Committee in conjunc- tion with Coltronics of Bury St Edmunds. The system consists of (1) An airbreak receiver, which

- stops excessive negative pressure ‘leaching’ the anaesthetic circuits, and

An airbreak receiver

- prevents any pressure build up in the system should the motor fail or a tube block.

(2) Assorted pipework and wall mountings.

(3) An extractor box containing a fan in a plenum chamber. This - has a power indicator light

switch, - has variable speed control,

and - can scavenge up to three

circuits simultaneously. The system is being launched

at Congress and will be available either in kit form at the commer- cial exhibition or, for more exten- sive pipe runs involving several theatres, contact Barry Coles for advice and assistance (including installation) at Coltronics Lim- ited, 47 Hardwick Industrial Estate, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 ZQH, telephone (0284) 755600, fax (0284) 753299.

JOHN HIRD Chairman

Members Services Committee

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