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Surveillance involves monitoring disease, infection or other health indices in a defined population, such that action can be taken when necessary. in the uK, this is currently performed for livestock with government funding through subsidised diagnostics at the veterinary laboratories agency (vla 2008). For equine disease, a more recent initiative established by the animal Health Trust has sought to mimic this surveillance of laboratory data in a more devolved sector using results supplied by commercial diagnostic laboratories (Defra/aHT/Beva 2010).

However, there is currently limited structured and coordinated small/companion animal disease surveillance (caWc 2008). This is in stark contrast to the size of the small animal population; it is estimated that there were about 10.5 million dogs and 10.3 million cats in the uK in 2007, with 43 to 52 per cent of households owning at least one pet (Westgarth and others 2007, Murray and others 2010). Those surveillance activities that have been developed are limited to focused initiatives including SarSS (the Suspected adverse reaction Surveillance Scheme), run by the veterinary Medicines Directorate (vMD 2010), and DacTari (Dog and cat Travel and risk information), run by Defra to monitor infectious diseases that are considered exotic to the uK (Defra 2010). More recent initiatives include cicaDa (computerbased investigation of companion animal Disease awareness), a voluntary reporting