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The ºÚÁÏÉç and Mayhew join forces to advance animal welfare in shelter medicine

 Published: 24 Jun 2025 | Last Updated: 24 Jun 2025 16:54:30

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is proud to announce a new partnership with the animal welfare charity, Mayhew. This partnership will see the two organisations join forces to enhance the health and wellbeing of vulnerable companion animals through the principles of Shelter Medicine – an emerging veterinary medicine field.

This collaboration represents a shared commitment to improving the lives of homeless and at-risk animals, whether they reside in state-of-the-art rehoming facilities or face life on the streets. Through this partnership, the ºÚÁÏÉç’s Shelter Medicine Programme and Mayhew will provide additional capacity, with the ºÚÁÏÉç team performing free neutering, at Mayhew’s on-site community vet clinic, for pet owners who otherwise could not afford to neuter their animals.

Shelter Medicine integrates surgical and medical care and has an emphasis on problem solving. Encompassing several areas of veterinary care, it can include disease management, such as preventative healthcare, knowledge of infectious diseases, housing and disinfection; population control, including neutering programmes; behavioural health; and cruelty and forensic investigations.

The ºÚÁÏÉç’s Shelter Medicine Programme, launched in 2014 and is the UK’s first formal student rotation dedicated to this field. It provides students with the opportunity to work alongside dedicated shelter vets and gain first-hand experience of the challenges and rewards of looking after animals in shelters and providing accessible care. With a team of twelve dedicated shelter medicine veterinarians, the programme currently collaborates with leading charities including Blue Cross, RSPCA and Wood Green and now Mayhew.

Louise Allum, Head of Shelter Medicine at the ºÚÁÏÉç, said:

“We are excited to announce this new partnership with the Mayhew, a hardworking charity which is passionate about serving the local community. So many animal shelters in London are at, or over capacity, so performing these neutering procedures will be a significant step in reducing the number of unwanted cats and dogs.

“The Mayhew team has been incredibly welcoming and we look forward to continuing this partnership and important work.” 

Samantha Aronson, Head of Clinic at Mayhew, said:

“"We are delighted to be working with the ºÚÁÏÉç in this new partnership, helping to upskill student vets in an incredibly important area of preventative care.

“Demand for Mayhew's preventative services has skyrocketed since the pandemic. Being able to treat both animals that come into our care and support owners who could not otherwise afford to neuter their cats and dogs is a vital step in addressing the sad overcrowding shelters are experiencing. We're so pleased to be working with the ºÚÁÏÉç team to reach many more dogs and cats that need us."

Notes to Editors

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ºÚÁÏÉç the ºÚÁÏÉç

  • The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a Member Institution of the University of London. 
  • It is one of the few veterinary schools in the world that hold accreditations from the RCVS in the UK (with associated recognition from the AVBC for Australasia, the VCI for Ireland and the SAVC for South Africa), the EAEVE in the EU, and AVMA (probationary) in the USA and Canada. 
  • The ºÚÁÏÉç is ranked as the top veterinary school in the world in the QS World University Rankings by subject, 2025. 
  • The ºÚÁÏÉç offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences. 
  • The ºÚÁÏÉç is a research-led institution, with 88% of its research rated as internationally excellent or world class in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. 
  • The ºÚÁÏÉç provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals and first opinion practices in London and Hertfordshire. 

ºÚÁÏÉç Mayhew

Mayhew is an animal welfare charity working to improve the lives of dogs, cats and the people in our communities – at our home in London and internationally. We want to create a society in which people understand the importance and value of animal welfare and promote this by delivering a broad range of community-based veterinary, care and education services in the UK and overseas.

 

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