02/09/2021
Veterinary practice: Veterinary clinics are authorised providers where there is a genuine animal welfare issue (or for the purposes of artificial insemination). Veterinary practitioners should exercise their professional judgement, with reference to current Government restrictions, about what constitutes a genuine animal welfare issue. Telemedicine may help veterinary practitioners to make such assessments.
Dog grooming: UPDATED 2 September Dog grooming businesses are not listed as authorised providers. The Department of Health's pet and animal welfare FAQs (small update 2 September 2021) say, 'Pet grooming services are not permitted to operate, except where a failure to provide these services would create an animal welfare issue for the pet and no other options for resolving that welfare issue are available. Grooming is to take place at an authorised provider (pet stores are authorised providers).' What we understand this to mean is that a pet grooming service may be be able to provide services at an authorised provider location in exceptional individual circumstances where:
there is a genuine animal welfare issue in relation to an individual animal, e.g. as identified and confirmed by a veterinary practitioner, and
there are no other options available to deal with that genuine animal welfare issue. Other options would include a veterinary practitioner themselves taking the action required to resolve a genuine animal welfare issue such as removing matting, shaving or clipping problem areas or providing other grooming-related services.
