BSAVA endorses Rabbit Awareness Week and offers support to practices

2 June 2017

Key campaign messages:
•    Rabbits’ diets should contain 85-90 per cent grass or fresh feeding hay, to support their digestive and dental health and promote wellbeing
•    Vets can play a huge part in ensuring rabbit owners leave practices with the correct information to support the specific needs of their rabbits

Vet practices can “make a huge difference” to the welfare of rabbits by taking part in Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), with help from the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA).

The Association is endorsing RAW, which takes place from June 17-25, and has produced helpful resources for members to make the most of the event – including a PR toolkit to gain valuable local media coverage, a host of ideas and links to relevant RAW campaign information supporting rabbit medicine and welfare.

This year’s campaign focus is diet to encourage owners to hop to hay and ensure rabbits’ diet contain 85-90 percent grass or fresh, high quality feeding hay to support their digestive and dental health and promote wellbeing.

John Chitty, BSAVA President, said: “Our mission is education and science and Rabbit Awareness Week is a perfect opportunity for practices to make a huge difference, by promoting welfare needs and ensuring owners leave with the right information to support the specific needs of their rabbits.

“We all want to encourage owners to take healthy action to ‘return the favour’ to companion animals who positively impact our quality of life. This year’s key message is that not all hay is the same – the health benefits of hay are incredible and it’s a really simple change you can make to improve rabbit welfare.”

The BSAVA has produced PR resources for its members to use to promote their practice’s involvement in RAW, which are on its website: https://bsava.com/MyBSAVA/Member-benefits/MyAssociation/PR-advice

Practices can also find ideas, information and social media suggestions at the official RAW website: www.rabbitawarennessweek.co.uk

Ends

Twitter: #HopToHay and #RAW2017