PDSA offers free e-learning rabbit care course during Rabbit Awareness Week

Rabbit owners and those interested in rabbit welfare can access a free online e-learning course on ‘What Rabbits Need’ from this Saturday 15 September.

 

Leading veterinary charity PDSA is opening up free access to this course online for the duration of Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), which runs until 22 September 2012.

 

The course, produced by PDSA veterinary surgeons, provides information on how to meet the five welfare needs for rabbits – Environment, Diet, Behaviour, Companionship & Health. All pet owners are legally responsible for meeting these needs and rabbit experts stress that meeting the five needs is the best way of ensuring that pets are healthy and happy.

 

PDSA is a key partner in the Rabbit Awareness Week campaign, which aims to promote rabbit health and wellbeing by re-educating rabbit owners on their pets’ health and welfare needs.

 

Sean Wensley, Senior Veterinary Surgeon, PDSA, commented:  “Despite being the UK’s third most popular pet, the welfare needs of rabbits are widely misunderstood by owners; our PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report revealed that over 1 million rabbits are housed alone, despite being a highly social animal; 750,000 are not receiving their recommended daily amount of hay or grass, resulting in dental and digestive disease; and 150,000 live in hutches that are too small for them.

 

“As a key partner in Rabbit Awareness Week, we are keen for as many people as possible to access our accessible and evidence-based course on rabbit wellbeing. Veterinary practices, pet shops and animal rehoming centres across the UK will all be participating in activities during Rabbit Awareness Week to help provide rabbit owners with good quality information on meeting their pets’ needs. Making our e-learning course available free of charge will offer rabbit owners, as well as pet specialists and veterinary professionals, the opportunity to find out the latest information on rabbit care, learn at their own pace and receive a certificate on completion. 

 

”With improved information and education on each of the five needs, we can begin raising standards of wellbeing for the UK’s pet rabbits”.

 

PDSA’s ‘What Rabbits Need’ course usually costs £10, including access online for 30 days, an online quiz, hosting and technical support. For registration, and details on other PDSA e-learning courses, including courses on the welfare needs of dogs and cats, first aid and medication, please visit http://pdsa.org.uk/about-us/pdsa-e-learning-zone *

 

Rabbit Awareness Week is supported by Burgess Excel and RAW partners including PDSA, MSD Animal Health, RSPCA, Blue Cross, Wood Green The Animals Charity and RWAF (Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund), a group of rabbit health and welfare experts who unite once a year with the aim of raising the care standards of Britain’s pet bunnies.

 

* a code is needed to access the free e-learning module – sept12!