Judges for the UK Rabbit Vet of the Year, the Rabbit Nurse of the Year and the Rabbit Veterinary Practice of the Year awards will be looking for exceptional knowledge of rabbit care and husbandry, and evidence of the winners’ continued commitment to educating the public on how to care for rabbits correctly.
Dr Suzanne Moyes MVB MRCVS, awards judge and Veterinary Director at Burgess Pet Care said: "These awards are our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to the veterinary professionals that are helping to improve the lives of pet rabbits."
Rae Todd, Director of the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund said: "Rabbits make absolutely fantastic pets but research continues to show that there are still too many rabbit owners failing to meet the correct needs of their rabbits. We’re incredibly grateful for the growing number of vets that are working hard to address this, whether that’s by utilising the available rabbit CPD, taking part in events like Rabbit Awareness Week or generally making their practices more suitable environments for rabbit-owning clients."
Veterinary surgeons and nurses can self-nominate for these awards, and nominations are also being sought from the public.
The winners will each receive a cash prize of £500.
To enter the awards, visit www.burgesspetcare.com/excel-vet-awards.
The Burgess Excel Vet Awards have three categories: UK Rabbit Vet of the Year; Rabbit Nurse of the Year and Rabbit Veterinary Practice of the Year.
The newly-announced judging panel is made up of:
The judges will be looking for exceptional knowledge of rabbit care and husbandry and evidence of continued commitment to educating the public on how to care for rabbits correctly. Practices will be assessed on their provision of rabbit-specific materials and their efforts throughout the year to engage with rabbit owners.
Suzanne Moyes, said: "Our work with Rabbit Awareness Week has provided a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the positive impact veterinary practices can have on rabbit welfare. Research consistently demonstrates that there are too many rabbit owners out there who are neglecting the welfare needs of their pets and education is key to addressing this.
"Many vets and vet nurses will have first-hand experience encountering rabbits in practice that have been admitted with entirely preventable illnesses or diseases. As a profession, if we can spend more time engaging with and informing pet owners on how to correctly care for their rabbits, we can drive significant change that positively benefits their lives. That’s a unique position for vets and vet nurses to be in."
John Chitty (pictured right), co-director of Anton Vets in Andover said: "Rabbits are one of the UK’s most popular pets but unfortunately they’re also one of the most neglected. Despite the growing threat of fatal diseases such as RVHD2, vaccine numbers are dangerously low and far too many rabbits are being seen with nutritional and husbandry related issues.
"These awards will highlight the importance of providing the right levels of care and attention to learning the particular needs of rabbits. Doing so has numerous benefits, not just for the UK’s pet rabbits, but for the veterinary practices that are taking care of them too, as research shows rabbit owners will seek out practices that specialise in rabbit care as a preference."
Nominations for the Burgess Excel Vet Awards will open in March 2020 and winners will be announced at the London Vet Show 2020.
One winner from each of the three categories will receive a cash prize of £500.
Veterinary surgeons, nurses and other interested parties can register their interest in the Burgess Excel Vet Awards now by visiting www.burgesspetcare.com/excel-vet-awards.
Encouragingly, 88% of the 5046 people surveyed said they keep guinea pigs in groups of two or more, as is recommended by experts and, in fact, required by law in Switzerland. 88% also said they provide their guinea pig with additional space to roam outside of their housing.
Although only 3% of guinea pig owners said they insure their pet, 67% said they take their guinea pig to see the vet once a year or more.
When it comes to nutrition, 76% of owners say they believe feeding hay is the most important part of their guinea pig(s) diet and 65% say it is their guinea pigs’ primary food source. Burgess says that in an ideal world 100% of guinea pigs would be fed hay as their primary food source, so 65% shows there is room for improvement.
Peter Lancaster, marketing manager at Burgess Pet Care said: "Guinea pigs make fantastic pets but, as with other small animals, they have very particular needs when it comes to their welfare. Thankfully, according to the findings of our census, we found that the majority of guinea pig owners who provided answers on the five welfare needs – diet, company, health, environment and behaviour, are conscientious with their care, reflecting their dedication to keeping their pets happy.
"It was fantastic to see the number of guinea pig owners entering the census keep rising by the day, and we’re reassured that there are thousands of well-informed owners out there. However, despite these resoundingly positive findings, there is always work to be done when it comes to improving standards of animal welfare. The information we’ve received from this census does identify the gaps of knowledge in certain areas, and we anticipate these gaps to be much larger when it comes to less-informed and engaged guinea pig owners."
This year’s Protect and Prevent campaign urged rabbit owners to get their rabbits vaccinated, following the continued outbreak of rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (RVHD2). Veterinary practices were also urged to make sure they were stocking the necessary vaccines to protect rabbits against RVHD2, RVHD and myxomatosis.
The company says that over 5000 campaign packs were downloaded from the Rabbit Awareness Week website and sales of RVHD2 vaccines in the veterinary sector in June 2019 were 55% up on June 2018.
Peter Lancaster, Marketing Manager at Burgess Pet Care said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to the RAW partners, veterinary practices, rescue centres, pet shop retailers and, of course, rabbit owners, for their continued support in helping us to improve the health and wellbeing of rabbits."
Dr Richard Saunders BVSc DZooMed MRCVS, veterinary advisor to RWAF said: "We heard lots of heart-breaking stories from owners and vets alike about rabbits, sometimes whole groups of rabbits, which had not been vaccinated. None of those people realised just how widespread the RVHD2 is, and how easy it is to pick it up. We will continue to campaign and share our message that it is very much better late than never to vaccinate rabbits against all three killer diseases of rabbits: myxomatosis, Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 1 and 2."
PDSA Vet Nurse, Kristiana Shirley, said: "Rabbit Awareness Week provided us with a great opportunity to engage with rabbit owners and raise awareness of the key preventative healthcare our bunnies so vitally need.
"During Rabbit Awareness Week in June, we saw a significant increase in the number of vaccines given when compared to previous months, and an increase in our rabbit MOTs too, which we hope is just the start of a trend which sees more owners protecting their rabbits from preventable, fatal diseases."
For more information on Rabbit Awareness Week, including free access to rabbit CPD, visit www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk
Burgess reminds everyone that RVHD2 is a highly infectious strain of RVHD with few or no visible symptoms. It is fatal and can kill within hours. RVHD2 poses a significant threat to Britain’s rabbit population and outbreaks have been reported all over the UK and Ireland meaning no area is safe.
According to the company, the most recent sales figures show that only 137,405 RVHD2 vaccinations have been distributed in the last year1. This, says the company, shows a concerning number of practices are still not stocking the necessary vaccines to protect rabbits against RVHD2 and other fatal diseases.
Rabbits who have received the combined vaccination for RVHD and myxomatosis need a separate vaccination for RVHD2.
BSAVA President Sue Paterson said: "The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) supports the Rabbit Awareness Week 'Protect and Prevent' approach to saving the lives of rabbits in the UK. The BSAVA urges all rabbit owners to get their rabbits vaccinated against this disease and encourages all practices to remind their clients of the importance of doing this."
Richard Saunders BVSc DZooMed MRCVS said: "It's important for vets to be aware of the importance of vaccinating rabbits against all 3 viral diseases: Myxomatosis, RVHD1 and RVHD2.
"We certainly don't want rabbits to go without their annual myxomatosis vaccine: this horrible disease is very much still around. RVHD1 appears to have been overtaken by the new variant, RVHD2, but should still be vaccinated against.
"RVHD2 is a recent strain of the RVHD virus, which the Nobivac Myxo-RHD vaccine does not cover, and it is, quite literally, everywhere. Transported by inanimate objects as well as animals, it can affect both indoor and outdoor rabbits anywhere in the UK.
"If you wait until you see the first case in your area before recommending vaccination, rabbits will die, when this could be avoided.
"Remember that rabbit owners are much more likely to bury their dead pets at home than cat and especially dog owners, who generally bring their pets to a vet for cremation, and so we, as a profession, are under-aware of the incidence of the disease out there.
"RVHD2 is a core vaccination requirement, being endemic in the UK. Additionally, it’s not just a fatal disease, it’s a fatal disease with a reservoir in the wild. We strongly recommend vaccination of rabbits with either Filavac or Eravac in addition to Nobivac Myxo-RHD."
For more information on this year’s campaign and to request your RAW veterinary pack with marketing materials and free samples, visit www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk
Reference
During the week, veterinary professionals, retailers and rabbit owners will be encouraged by Burgess and campaign partners the RSPCA, RAWF, Wood Green, PDSA and Blue Cross to sign and share a pledge to move away from muesli on the website: http://www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk.
Alex Thorne at Burgess Pet Care, said: "Muesli should never be part of a rabbit’s diet but, sadly, a widespread lack of understanding and awareness around its risks means it’s often too easy for rabbit owners to make the wrong choice. Research continues to show that there is a lack of understanding around the correct nutritional needs of rabbits, and the continued feeding of muesli is a major outcome of that.
"Feeding rabbits muesli increases the risk of selective feeding. Just like children would typically pick sweet treats when faced with the choice between them or vegetables, rabbits will eat parts of the muesli mix that are high in starch and sugar, whilst leaving behind the more nutritious elements.
"We’re encouraging all rabbit lovers to get involved with this year’s campaign by visiting the Rabbit Awareness Week website and signing the ‘Move Away from Muesli’ pledge, before spreading the word amongst fellow rabbit owners. It’s our ambition to move as many rabbits away from muesli towards a good quality hay-based diet supplemented by a small portion of high-quality nuggets and a few fresh greens, which provides the nutrients rabbits need to be happy and healthy."
Burgess says there will also be campaign packs to help support practices in spreading the word, details of which will be available nearer the time.
Burgess Pet Care has announced that it'll be running Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) from 9th - 17th May.
Last year, almost 3,000 veterinary practices signed up to participate in the initiative by offering free health checks for rabbits for the whole of May.
Burgess points to a study published at the end of last year: The current state of welfare, housing and husbandry of the English pet rabbit population, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol for the RSPCA. Dr. Jane Tyson, Rabbit Behaviour and Welfare Expert at the RSPCA, said: "The study showed that 59% of rabbits live in hutches and less than a quarter of rabbits have continual access to an exercise area*. Rabbits should have constant access to an appropriate exercise area to allow them to exhibit their natural behaviours and for their mental and physical wellbeing."
The report highlights the need to educate rabbit owners on the housing, exercise and foraging needs of rabbits, so the focus of RAW this year is on improving rabbits' environment.
Other organisations partnering with Burgess for the initiative include: MSD Animal Health - the producers of Panacur Rabbit, the RSPCA, the PSDA, the Blue Cross, Wood Green and the RWAF (Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund).
Suzanne Moyes, Veterinary Manager at Burgess Pet Care, said: "It is fantastic that RAW keeps on growing and is going from strength to strength. We hope to increase the number of vet practices, rescue centres, schools and retailers signing up this year and attract new corporate partners to make it even bigger and better.
"The sole aim of RAW is to educate owners about responsible rabbit ownership and improve the wellbeing of one of Britain's most popular pets. It couldn't be easier for vets to sign up to offer free health checks and help us educate the nation on rabbit health and welfare."
Vets, rescue centres, schools and retailers can sign up to RAW 2015 by visiting, www.rabbitawarenessweek.co.uk. Supporters will receive free support kits which include posters and leaflets.
Burgess Pet Care is investing a six figure sum in its first ever television advertising campaign to promote Supadog and Excel.
Running in tranches across targeted satellite and terrestrial channels up until August 2010, the adverts aim to drive trial and purchase of the products by offering samples through SMS or www.supatasty.co.uk and www.fibrevores.co.uk websites.
Justin Heaton, Head of Marketing, Burgess Pet Care, said: "Burgess Supadog and Excel have seen huge growth this year despite the economic climate for consumers. Pet owners still want to feed their animals quality food but without the expensive price tag. Aligned with our 'Forever Promise', Burgess is committed to making great food that's good for pet's health, is deliciously tasty but at an affordable price. The TV adverts have been a fantastic way to deliver this message and we are extremely pleased with the results they are generating."
The advertising activity is supported by PR, in store POS and a £5,000 golden ticket prize promotion during July and August.
For further information on Supadog and The Excel Feeding Plan visit www.burgesspetcare.co.uk