We passionately believe in protecting our environment and are continually investing in ways to make our practice as environmentally sustainable as possible.
Medicine waste can be harmful to the environment:
· Disposing of medicines via waterways (e.g. Flushing down the sink or toilet) can lead environmental contamination; traces of animal medicines have been detected in watercourses throughout the uk, and these could be dangerous to fish and other aquatic organisms.
· Putting medications in the bin at home means they end up in landfill.
To reduce the environmental risk from medicine disposal at home, we encourage you to return any unused / unopened / out of date medications to us for safe disposal. Just bring them in and hand them over to our reception team.
*Please note we are unable to provide refunds for returned unused medicines, as we are unable to re-stock medicines for resale once they have left the practice. It is also illegal for us to supply unused or out of date veterinary medicines to animal charities.
Once veterinary medicines have been dispensed from a veterinary practice, it is illegal to sell your unused veterinary medicines online; the sale of online veterinary medicines is regulated and monitored.
Return of Unused/ Unopened/ Out of Date Medications
Did you know that the safest way to dispose of your pet’s unused / out of date flea and worm treatments and other medicines is to return them to your veterinary surgery?
Preventative Healthcare
Preventing disease is a really important way to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare.
Vaccinations and Parasite Plans
Vaccinating your pet against infectious diseases and preventing parasite infections is very important for animal welfare and to prevent illness in your pet. It is also much cheaper and has less environmental impact to prevent a disease than to treat it.
Responsible Use of Parasiticides
Parasite plans are important but responsible use of parasiticides should always be considered:
· Plans should be based on your pet’s lifestyle and risk level; speak to our staff about your pet’s parasite plan.
· Always read the product label and leaflet for correct administration and frequency of use; please speak to a member of the team if you have problems applying a treatment.
· If using a topical product, don’t bathe your pet or let them swim for 4 days after application.
· Always bin and bag pet poo to help prevent parasites and treatments from spreading in the environment.
For further information, read the BVA’s Responsible use of parasiticides for cats and dogs: The five point plan.
Dental Care:
Having an at home dental routine for your pet has several benefits. Not only does it reduce the risk of dental disease, (such as halitosis, toothache or infection), but it also lowers the risk of your pet needing a dental procedure under anaesthesia; this is not only good for you pet, but is is also cheaper and better for the environment (by reducing the amount of anaesthetic gasses we use).
There are several ways to keep your pets’ teeth clean and healthy at home:
· Tooth brushing with a brush and toothpaste
· Using special dental diets and chews
· Applying an antiseptic dental gel
Weight Clinics:
Carrying excess weight increases the risk of diseases and can reduce life expectancy in our pets. Obesity is linked to many diseases including heart, liver, lung and skin disease, diabetes, heat intolerance, digestive problems, joint damage and arthritis. Obesity also lowers the body’s resistance to infection and increases the risk of anaesthesia.
We run weight clinics where we work with you to reduce your pet’s excess weight and improve their health. Keeping your pet at an ideal weight is not only good for your pet’s health but also has less environmental impact by reducing the risk and need for treatment of obesity associated diseases.
As a practice, we believe we have a responsibility to care for the environment and work towards a more sustainable way of work.
Over the past several years we have made the following changes:
· We have added multiple recycling bins around our practices to allow us to recycle our packaging materials and non-hazardous waste.
· We try to sun-dry washing (bedding, towels etc) in summertime to reduce tumble dryer use.
· We have improved our anasesthsia protocols to reduce our waste gas emissions.
· We have upgraded lighting where possible to LED and are moving away from inefficient fluorescent lighting.
Coming Soon / Future Goals:
· We are in the process of changing our internal practice systems to enable us to use less paper.
· Reconstruction plans for part of our hospital which include multiple environmental sustainability improvements.
We take our responsibilities seriously and care about our environment. Thank you for helping to keep our environment healthy and safe.
