About MDC by Génia Group

Génia

A leading manufacturer of equipment for animal health professionals in France and beyond, we know Génia are a great match for MDC. Founded after World War II, they initially specialised in producing high-quality Plexiglas syringes for veterinary use. Today, the company offers a portfolio of over 2,500 products, covering injection, cleaning, surgery, orthopedics, protection, livestock care, capture, grooming, and hospitalization.

With the acquisition, MDC customers now have access to Génia’s extensive range of equipment, through Génia itself, its pet product division VetoPop, and its partner Mano Medical.

With a growing dedicated sales team committed to understanding the needs of our customers, we can continue to enhance our existing products and innovate for the future. All our products continue to be developed by our R&D departments on both sides of the Channel with our own designer, a product engineers, and a DMV. New products are finalised at Génia’s factory in Saint-Hilaire-de-Chaléons, and undergo rigorous testing with professional partners. View the Génia 2024 catalogue here. The new version will be launched shortly.

History

Founder Melvyn Driver had always owned dogs and held an interest in the welfare of animals. In the 1960s,TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) was a new concept. Working with UFAW (Universities Federation of Animal Welfare) and SPANA, Melvyn engineered the Eziset cat trap. A much-appreciated alternative to stray cat population practices of the time.

Following this, at the request of an RSPCA Inspector, Melvyn developed a humane dog grasper. The traps and graspers soon became essential pieces of kit for vets, rescue workers, dog wardens and others in the sector. With the essential co-operation of those directly involved in animal welfare, MDC (Melvyn Driver Components) was established and further quality products were developed.

This included the unique fabric Mikki Muzzle providing safety to the handler whilst addressing the welfare needs of the dog. This top selling item launched ‘Mikki Pet Products’. More successful products followed including grooming equipment and other items for the pet market. In 1998, Melvyn sold Mikki and focused on his real passion – developing high welfare animal handling equipment and products. The comprehensive MDC Export range is stocked by wholesalers and distributors and used extensively by vets, kennels, catteries, local authorities and welfare organisations both in the UK and abroad.

Sadly in May ’21, Melvyn passed away.  He is sorely missed by all who knew and loved him but the company, amazing products, and compassionate ethos remain under our new partners – Génia. Another family run business, our French counterparts acquired MDC in 2024 and we are delighted to bring even more quality animal care equipment to our existing and new customers.

Our Values

Social attitudes towards animals have changed significantly over the years and MDC have been a driving force ensuring that they are treated in a humane way. We are now taking Génia along with us on this journey. With animal welfare in mind, we continue to provide practical solutions for their management and aid the health & safety for those who work with them.

With input from expert veterinary professionals, behaviourists (including Dr Roger Mugford) and other specialists in the field (Ian MacFarlaine), our traps, baskets, capture and restraint products have been designed to enable the essential care and treatment of animals whilst keeping unavoidable stress, suffering or discomfort to a minimum. We do not participate in any form of invasive animal handling testing.

Our equipment is trialled on only by obliging pets owned by our family members and selected experts involved in animal handling. We use soft toys for any contrived photography or videos. Other images are from ‘real life’ so no animal is exploited for marketing purposes.

Recognising the value of the MDC ethos and product range, the company has won numerous awards including Star Product Award (PPM), Best Pet Related Product (Pet Index), Most Supportive Company (NDWA), Best Small Animal Product (PPM), Outstanding Commitment to Cat Welfare (ICC). Cat Friendly Award (Smart SoftE Collars) and Award for Innovation in Humane Cat Population Management (ICC). We also believe in ‘giving back’ so in addition to our charitable promotions, since 1996 MDC have donated thousands of pounds worth of equipment to deserving animal rescue recipients via the annual International Companion Animal Welfare Conference.

The Team

Branch Manager: Kay Gibbins (nee Driver)

Product research & development: Miranda Luck RVN is our consultant animal welfare specialist and can help you with any veterinary or associated technical enquires.

Support staff: Jackie and Sarah are always on hand to assist with your customer enquiries and Lizzie keeps an eye on the numbers.

Stock and purchase control manager: Keeping tabs on the supply chain and managing the logistics, Barry works closely with the teams in the UK and France to keep things running smoothly.

Warehouse manager: Lee will make sure your product is double checked and packaged safely for delivery. He is ably assisted by Russell who also has knowledge of all the MDC, Génia and ManoMedical products.

Ethical

We believe that everyone has a moral duty to treat animals with respect and as such, it is our aim to sell our products (traps, graspers, restrainers) only to those who are passionate about animal welfare. We do this by selling directly to our customers via phone, email, trusted wholesalers or from this website. Uniquely, we DO NOT sell our TNR or related products on eBay or Amazon as this would mean sales may be made to those who wish to cause harm to animals. Some may argue that even welfare trapping, use of graspers or restraining products violate the respect principle however we believe it is a reasonable trade-off so that we may seriously reduce animal overpopulation and its associated problems. This includes illnesses, starvation, homelessness, and death which in some cases includes inhumane poisoning or non-professional shooting. As we all navigate the complex world of animal welfare, we hope you will support us, understand, agree and follow the principle that we should always choose to prevent greater suffering, even if that means others will lightly suffer so that we may better serve all animals.

Getting Greener

MDC aims to run a low-waste business to aid the negative impact on our environment and animals. We reuse packaging where possible and recycle anything we cannot use. We no longer produce a paper catalogue, and we’ve removed unnecessary plastics and introduced recycled card packaging on new and existing products.

Our Smart Collars are made of recycled PET, and our Smart Recover Collar must surely be the ‘greenest’ available. Designed and manufactured in the UK, it’s made with card from sustainable sources and is completely recyclable and compostable. 

MDC was at the forefront of biodegradable poop bags, with our EcoBags being one of the first available in the marketplace. 

Providing an alternative to single-use bandaging, our reusable IV Catheter Guard is another innovative idea helping to reduce waste in veterinary practices, and we are proud that our pet carrier range (and many other products) are so well made many have been in daily use for over 20 years