Little girls and royalty have engaged in tea parties for centuries, but who knew that dogs and their pet parents would as well? That's just what happened at the Animal Health Trust sponsored doggy tea party. Hundreds of guests including, both dogs and their humans, were in attendance for an afternoon of fun and fur-oliking festivities.
The events included a special heelwork set to music performance by dog trainer Christina Oxtoby. And to commemorate this special day photographer Sarah George was on hand to snap a keepsake photo of all the canine attendees.
Whilst the two-legged guests enjoyed delicious refreshments provided by Harriets Tea Rooms, the dogs were also delighted by the special canine-friendly teas and tonics made by Woof and Brew.
Animal Health Trust event co-ordinator, Sarah Jaina, was thrilled with the turnout and the added bonus of over 600 pounds (roughly $870) that will go into the AHT charity. The AHT was founded in 1942 by a veterinary surgeon, Dr. W. R. Wooldridge, and was known back then as the Veterinary Education Trust.
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When this charity was founded by Wooldridge his goal was to make advances in the veterinary field, just as those advances were being made in human medicine. The Veterinary Education Trust was re-named the Animal Health Trust in 1948.
Animal Health Trust is a leading facility that not only treats thousands of sick dogs, cats and horses each year, but they are pioneering more effective ways to do so. Therefore, they are improving veterinary practice worldwide. This is done by the facilities own leading research team that studies diseases and viruses affecting companion animals in order to find new ways of reducing their frequency, severity and, if possible, eradicating them altogether.
In addition to all the research, AHT takes the findings of their studies and shares it through published scientific papers, speaking conferences and by engaging with other animal surgeons. All the results are then passed on as widely as possible in order to improve the overall health and well being of domesticated pets everywhere.
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Some of the most prominent and exciting advances AHT has made are better more advanced methods of cataract surgery. They have a specialized treatment of brain & spinal disease and are leading in pioneering cancer research. Their use of MRI and nuclear scintigraphy for investigation of equine orthopaedic disease, genetic tests for blindness, metabolic disease, deafness and epilepsy are top-notch.
In addition, they've developed vaccines for canine distemper, equine influenza and duck hepatitis and have become the leaders of the international project to map the equine genome. Plus, AHT has also worked on the production of diagnostic blood tests to screen for Strangles in horses.
For all the breakthroughs the Animal Health Trust has done over the last few decades, a tea party is just the tip of the iceberg of celebrations this leading research facility deserves. Thanks to them, our domesticated pets can live longer, healthier and happier lives.
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