Waterside Vets in Eaton Socon named the winner of Supreme Petfoods’ new annual grant, supporting its commitment to improving rabbit and small-pet care

Supreme Petfoods has announced Waterside Vets in Eaton Socon as the winner of its inaugural £2,000 Selective Vet Grant, following a competitive judging process which saw over 40 entries and five veterinary practices shortlisted for the award.

The grant was launched to support veterinary professionals passionate about improving rabbit and exotic pet care within practice, with funding available for projects including CPD, rabbit-friendly practice improvements, client education initiatives and investment in new equipment or educational resources.

After reviewing the shortlisted applications, the expert judging panel – Dr Molly Varga Smith (The Exotic Animal Vets), Cat Henstridge (Cat the Vet), James Westgate (Editor, Vet Times), and Claire Hamblion-Jennings (Marketing Director, Supreme Petfoods) – selected Waterside Vets as the overall winner.

The £2,000 grant will support the practice’s Cultivated Care Campaign, an ambitious project designed to establish a dedicated, welfare-centred rabbit care service at Waterside Vets.

Waterside opened as an independent practice in 2023 and already has a client base of around 100 rabbits. The Cultivated Care Campaign will build on this demand by creating a comprehensive rabbit-focused service in an area where access to dedicated exotic and rabbit-savvy veterinary care is currently limited.

The project will introduce a range of initiatives designed to reduce stress, improve pain management and promote natural behaviours for rabbits throughout their time at the practice. These include new low-stress handling protocols and standardised pain scoring, alongside personalised ‘Rabbit Passports’ to record individual dietary preferences, bonded companion information and known stress triggers.

The grant will also help fund inpatient enrichment, including digging and foraging opportunities, as well as an indoor growing station to provide fresh herbs and greens for hospitalised rabbits. Funding will contribute towards a dedicated small mammal ward, including an air purifier to reduce predator smells, visual barriers to minimise stress and an incubator for critical, post-surgical or hypothermic patients. Staff training and client education resources will also form an important part of the campaign.

Importantly, Waterside Vets plans to measure the impact of the project over six months, tracking outcomes including hospital stay duration, pain and stress scores, time to voluntary feeding following anaesthesia, post-operative weight stability, client satisfaction and staff confidence.

The other four shortlisted practices were:

• RSPCA Essex Mid & North Branch (Branch Manager, Anna Drake)
• Abercorn Veterinary Clinic, Edinburgh (Head Veterinary Nurse, Rachel Sibbald)
• Snowy Veterinary Centre, Rochester, Kent (Practice Manager, Sam Snow)
• Suffolk Exotic Vets (Registered Veterinary Nurse, Dana Forecast)

Claire Hamblion-Jennings, Marketing Director at Supreme Petfoods, said: “We were hugely impressed by the quality and passion demonstrated across the shortlisted practices. Each one showed a genuine commitment to improving the care and welfare of rabbits and other small pets, which made choosing an overall winner incredibly difficult.

“However, Waterside Vets’ Cultivated Care Campaign really stood out for its comprehensive and practical approach to rabbit welfare. From low-stress handling and pain assessment to enrichment, nutrition and creating a dedicated small mammal ward, the project has the potential to make a meaningful difference to the experience of rabbits in practice.

“Congratulations to Vet nurse, Hayley Ayers, and the whole team. We’re delighted to support their plans with the £2,000 Selective Vet Grant and look forward to seeing the Cultivated Care Campaign take shape!”

Dr Molly Varga Smith said: “I was really impressed by the ambition of the Cultivated Care Campaign and the potential difference it could make to the welfare of rabbits throughout their journey in practice. It’s an innovative project with the potential to make a significant contribution to rabbit veterinary care, and I was delighted to see Waterside Vets selected as the overall winner.

“What particularly excited me about the project was its potential to create meaningful, measurable improvements in welfare, while also generating learnings that could benefit the wider veterinary community if the results are shared. The team has clearly thought carefully about how they can improve the experience of rabbits in their care, from reducing stress and improving pain assessment through to enrichment and their hospital environment.

“It’s an ambitious project, but one with real potential, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how it develops. Congratulations to Hayley and the team at Waterside Vets – they are very deserving winners!”

With rabbits recognised as the UK’s most popular pet after cats and dogs, Supreme Petfoods hopes the Selective Vet Grant will encourage greater focus on rabbit welfare and support veterinary practices looking to further develop their rabbit and other exotic-pet expertise.

Recognising the hugely important role veterinary professionals play in improving rabbit welfare, the initiative was open to both veterinary practices applying directly and pet owners nominating a practice they believed deserved recognition for its commitment to small-pet care.

The grant forms part of Supreme Petfoods’ ongoing commitment to supporting better rabbit welfare and helping to improve education around the care of small pets.

About Supreme Petfoods

Supreme Petfoods is a leading specialist in small-pet nutrition, dedicated to improving the health and well-being of small pets through high-quality, science-based food and care products. The company’s portfolio includes the award-winning Science Selective range alongside the much-loved Tiny Friends Farm brand, offering trusted nutrition for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, rats, mice and other small pets.

With a strong focus on veterinary expertise, animal welfare and nutritional innovation, Supreme works closely with retailers, vets and small-pet owners to support better care and responsible pet ownership.

Supreme Petfoods products are sold in pet speciality stores, garden centres, veterinary practices and major retailers across the UK and internationally.

For further information, interviews or images, please contact:
supreme@nobullagency.co.uk
www.supremepetfoods.com