Royal Army Veterinary Corps

Royal Army Veterinary Corps
Cap badge of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps incorporating Chiron
Active	1796-Present Day
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	British Army
Role	Animal Healthcare
Garrison/HQ	Defence Animal Centre, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
Nickname(s)	RAVC
March	Drink Puppy Drink / A Hunting We Will Go (Quick); Golden Spurs (Slow)
Equipment	Dogs, horses
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HRH The Princess Royal
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash

The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC) is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and care of animals. It is a small corps, forming part of the Army Medical Services. Unusually, although it is responsible for providing what could be termed materiel, it is under the purview of the Adjutant-General, who is in charge of personnel.

The original Army Veterinary Service (Veterinary Corps) within the Army Medical Department was founded in 1796 after public outrage concerning the death of Army horses. John Shipp was the first veterinary surgeon to be commissioned into the British Army when he joined the 11th Light Dragoons on 25 June 1796.

The Honorary Colonel-in-Chief is the Princess Royal who has visited RAVC dog-handling units serving in Afghanistan.

In late March 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that Fitz Wygram House, one of the Corps' sites, was one of ten that would be sold in order to reduce the size of the Defence estate.

The RAVC provides, trains and cares for mainly dogs and horses, but also tends to the various regimental mascots in the army, which range from goats to an antelope. Personnel include veterinary surgeons and veterinary technicians providing medical and surgical care to animals, and handlers who train dogs and deploy with them on operational service. Dogs are used extensively in the theatre of war, and are organised within the Military Working Dog Regiment (see below). Horses are used primarily for ceremonial purposes, although the Corps continues to rehearse procedures for the operational deployment of horses. This is explained on its website in these terms:

Although there is unlikely ever be a significantly large requirement for equines in future military operations, there are scenarios where ground conditions, (in situations where stealth is required or helicopters are not available for example), could make pack transport a vital solution to the need.