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The Association's primary purpose is to advance the quality and availability of veterinary medicine and surgery relating to small animals.

This broad aim is achieved in a number of different ways.

WSAVA fosters the exchange of scientific information,both between individual veterinarians and between their veterinary orginisations.

WSAVA is an international network of 76 member associations and affiliated organisations,representing over 70,000 individual veterinarians world wide. Each year an Annual World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress is held in a different part of the world, hosted by a member association under the auspices of the WSAVA. The Congress attracts large numbers of veterinarians from may countries, who are able to learn from top international speakers on all aspects of small animal practice.Proceeding from the Congress are available to veterinary schools, libraries and individuals, and provide a valuable source of the most up-to-date knowledge of medicine and surgery.

For several years,WSAVA has been running a very successful plan for providing veterinary continuing education in the emerging countries of Eastern Europe. In 1997 a similar 5 year progamme was begun in South America. Plans are being made for further activities in Asia.

For may years the WSAVA has been active in the documentation and control of hereditary defects in small animals throughout the world. Progress is being made towards international certification schemes for elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia and certain eye conditions in dogs.

WSAVA furthers international relationships between all veterinarians dealing with small animal health and welfare.

A WSAVA Convention for the Protection of Companion Animals is almost complete, and will provide a set of internationally acceptable policy statements on small animal welfare. A set of legislative proposals is also in preparation and will be made available to countries which need to improve their animal protection laws.

WSAVA is also working to facilitate the introduction of effective, reliable and standard microchip identification of small animals thoughout the world. The preservation of the right to prescribe veterinary remedies internationally, for the benefit of our small animal patients, is another important activity.

The Annual Congress provides the forum for these and other matters to be discussed, as well as encouraging friendship and cooperation between veterinarians from all over the world.

A regular News bulletin for members is published widely in tbe Journal of Small Animal Practice and a variety of other journals in many languages.

Now the appearance of the WSAVA homepage on the Internet gives a greatly extended possibility of maintaining contact with WSAVA members and the general public.The WSAVA homepage is combined with INNO-VET(C.A.), a Consumer Forum for the Companion Animal Veterinary Practitioner which ,among other items, supplies journal abstracts that are of interest to the veterinarian from the veterinary, human and general science fields.

WSAVA promotes tbe standing of small animal practice,in particular, by presenting annual Awards for Scientific Achievement and for Service to the profession, thus encouraging excellence in small animal practice.

By publicising the activities of the Association, its working parties und its members, WSAVA can help make the wider community aware of the benefits of pet ownership and the valuable work done by the veterinarians who care for small animals.