The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) said that vet practices can “make a huge difference” to the welfare of rabbits by taking part in Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), which runs from June 17-25.

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’s president said the association 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.

Mr Chitty 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.”

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