Northfield Vets

21/04/2026

Change to EU travel for your pets.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) issued Briefing Note 14/26 on April 17, 2026. This statement marks a significant shift in pet travel rules, effectively ending the "loophole" where Great Britain (GB) residents used EU-issued pet passports to avoid the cost of Animal Health Certificates (AHCs).

An EU pet passport, issued to or held by a pet owner who is resident in GB, will no longer be a valid document for travelling with pets from GB to the EU. This applies to EU pet passports issued in an EU Member State or Northern Ireland, including those issued before 22 April 2026 . EU pet passports may only be issued to owners whose main residence is within the European Union.
If your primary residence is in Great Britain, you cannot use an EU pet passport for travel from the UK to the EU, regardless of where or when that passport was issued (e.g., if you obtained it in France or Spain). UK residents must now obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for every single trip to the EU.
The briefing clarifies that EU pet passports issued in Northern Ireland are also invalid for travel if the owner is a resident of Great Britain.
APHA is updating the AHC forms to align with new EU regulations. While these new templates are being finalised, there is a transition period where older AHC templates will still be accepted for travel into the EU. There are currently no changes to the requirements for pets entering GB. You can still use a valid EU pet passport or AHC to return to the UK.

For dogs, the requirement for a vet-administered tapeworm treatment between 24 and 120 hours before arriving back in GB remains in place.

You should contact your vet immediately to arrange an AHC, as pet passports will no longer be accepted at the border for UK residents from that date.

16/04/2026

Following on from our post in November 2025: Two further cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 have been confirmed in commercial poultry at premises in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

Two cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 have been confirmed in commercial poultry as follows:

at a third premises near Gainsborough, West Lindsey, Lincolnshire
at a premises near Great Shelford, South Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire.
A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been put in place around each premises. Please check GOV.UK for more information.

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) with mandatory biosecurity measures remains in place across Great Britain.

All bird keepers must follow stringent biosecurity measures, any regional housing measures/Protection/Surveillance Zone restrictions in their area to prevent future outbreaks.

Please check the disease control zones on our avian influenza interactive map to see what restrictions are in place and the biosecurity guidance available on GOV.​UK.

Definitive requirements are set out in the published declarations for each disease control zone currently in force. More information is available on GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england -situation

Find out about the latest bird flu situation in England and guidance for bird keepers and the public.

24/03/2026

Here at Northfield Vets we manage to get through mountains of newspapers, and our stockpile is now looking a little sorry for itself. If any-one has any spare, we would be very grateful for any that you have. Many Thanks. 😁

12/03/2026

We are very excited to announce that we have a new team member here at Northfield Vets!

Tom is our new full-time vet. He will be working alongside Theo on a daily basis.

Tom qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 2010, having first studied Zoology at Durham University.

He grew up in East Anglia and after initially living and working in Surrey, moved back to the area in 2014 with his young family.

Tom enjoys all aspects of veterinary work, especially getting to know owners and their pets and he is very excited to be joining us.

When not at work he is very busy coaching his childrens' rugby teams, occasionally putting his boots on to play for his local team, and getting outside for dog walks with his family and his rescue Jack Russell, Maggie.

12/02/2026

With Valentines Day looming just around the corner, we would like to just remind cat owners about the dangers of Lilies. As beautiful as they are, they are highly toxic to cats and must not be in any room where your cat is likely to enter.
The entire lily plant is toxic: the stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, and even the water in the vase. Eating just a small amount of a leaf or flower petal, licking a few pollen grains off its fur while grooming, or drinking the water from the vase can cause your cat to develop fatal kidney failure in less than 3 days.
So, if you are lucky enough to receive flowers from your loved one this year, please remove any Lilies from the bouquet and throw them away in a safe place.

10/02/2026

We are pleased to announce that our Out of hours service will now be covered by Cambridge Night Vets.
If you call our usual number after hours, you will be given the number shown below for emergency appointments.

27/01/2026

MICROCHIP SCAM!!!!!
You may have heard on the news recently that there is a scam doing the rounds at the moment, whereby pet owners are receiving emails from a company called Pet Chip Network, telling them their pet microchip has expired and to click on the link in the e-mail. Unfortunately this is a scam. Do not click the link. Do not pay any money.
Microchips do not go out of date!!!
Different providers will have different payment policies but many work on a one off payment unless you need to make ownership changes. If you are in any doubt about your pet’s microchip status, please contact your pet’s microchip provider. If you’re unsure who it is, we can help you with this. It’s worth checking your contact details are up to date too, so that found pets can be quickly reunited.
Your microchip provider must be on the list of providers that are approved by DEFRA, or your pets details will not be shared on the databases.
Sadly, if your dog or cat has not been registered with a legitimate microchipping company, this could result in a fine of up to £500

30/12/2025

We would like to take this opportunity to say Thank you for all the lovely cards and gifts that you have been so kind to give to us this year. We count ourselves very lucky to have such lovely clients and we appreciate every single one of you. We will be eating Christmas goodies well into next year!
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and we wish you and your pets the very best of health for 2026. 💙

02/12/2025

LAST ORDERS AND COLLECTION OF MEDICATION.

CHRISTMAS:
Last Order date: Saturday 20th December
Last Collection date: Tuesday 23rd December

NEW YEAR:
Last Order Date: Saturday 27th December
Last Collection date: Tuesday 30th December

04/11/2025

AVIAN FLU: Information from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england
AIPZ housing measures from 6 November 2025
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is in an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ). By law you must follow strict biosecurity and hygiene rules to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading.

There are some areas in the AIPZ in England where you already have to house your birds. From midday on Thursday 6 November 2025, mandatory housing measures will be extended to the whole of England.

You will have to house your birds in England if you keep either:

more than 50 birds of any species – including poultry and other captive birds
any number of poultry
Poultry are birds that are kept to give away or sell:

eggs
poultry products
live birds
You do not have to house your birds if you keep less than 50 birds and their eggs or poultry products are for your own use only.

24/10/2025

We are sad to report that a very kind member of the public has brought us a deceased cat this morning. He is an uncastrated Black and White boy. (Mainly Black with White paws). Unfortunately, he is not microchipped. If you think he may be yours, please call in to the practice or give us a ring on 01353 722711
He was found along the Soham bypass.