Year: 2020

Pet owners turn to Google for advice on their pets’ mental health

Study suggests that there has been a  50% increase in Google searches regarding pets mental health. According to data by Semrush, in 2019 there were nearly 140,000 searches relating to pet mental health with 10,470 searches in January 2019 compared with 15,150 searches in January this year. Between December 2019…

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Covid-19: Raystede Animal Shelter forced to halt services

Raystede Animal Shelter announced it has temporarily halted its animal adoption service amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  No adoptions will take place until further notice, and only essential staff are now coming to work in order to look after the cats and dogs currently being sheltered.  The shelter already has…

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BSAVA launches triage tool

The BSAVA has launched a free triage tool designed to help vets in small animal practices identify and process emergency canine and feline cases during the Covid-19 pandemic. The tool provides users with a downloadable and printable guide chart that has been created by a number of veterinary specialists.  The…

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Government relaxes insolvency rules

The government has announced a set of changes to help improve the insolvency system to enable companies undergoing restructuring to continue trading. The relaxed measures announced by business secretary Alok Sharma, will allow companies undergoing restructuring to continue to access supplies and raw materials. It has also temporarily suspended wrongful…

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FirstVet makes services free

FirstVet has  announced it will be making its services free to all pet owners across the UK until 30 April. The move is in cooperation with its insurance partners, Bought By Many, LV= and Waggel. The on-demand video consultation provider said that the move aims to “alleviate some of the…

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RSPCA officer attacked during swan mission

An RSPCA officer was attacked by a group of teenagers whilst trying to rescue a swan, the animal charity has reported. Animal welfare officer Leanne Honess-Heather was helping a swan who had become tangled in a fishing line when she was approached by five male teenagers in Hull, East Yorkshire.…

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What we know about furlough leave and the CJRS

HMRC published details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) on 26.3.20 which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Key points include: Employees that employers can claim CJRS for For the purposes of CJRS, the definition of employee would include workers and agency workers provided they are subject to PAYE i.e. this…

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Self-employed to get 80% income grant

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the government will pay self-employed people a taxable grant based on their previous earnings over the last three years, worth up to 80% of earnings, and capped at £2,500 a month. Sunak said it will run for a minimum of three months, with scope for…

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Wetherspoons’ boss was right to withhold wages

The media and the Twitterati have had a field day vilifying the founder and owner of pub chain Wetherspoons over his decision not to pay his staff in light of the coronavirus restrictions. Tim Martin had sent an email to his 43,000 staff saying he could not afford to pay…

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Pets at Home issues guidelines to customers amid coronavirus crisis

The chief executive of retailer Pets at Home, Peter Pritchard, has issued new guidelines to customers amid the Covid-19 virus outbreak. Whilst many shops have been urged to temporarily close, Pets at Home has been permitted to remain open to serve pet owners “essential items”. Some of the new measures…

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