Supreme Petfoods was disappointed to discover that some of its specialist-only small animal products are now being sold online through Argos.

Ever since it started the species-specific small animal food market some 20 years ago with the launch of Russel Rabbit, Supreme has been a firm supporter of the independent pet trade by producing ranges exclusively for the specialist retailer.

Supreme is doing everything it can to find out how these particular ranges are being sold outside of its core business channel and is determined to put a stop to it.

Starting in February, there is a webinar once a month on a topic of interest to anyone who deals with small furries. It’s easy to sign up – simply register now by emailing cpd@supremepetfoods.com or visit www.supremeprofessional.com.

The series begins on Thursday 2nd February with a video showing of Molly’s live session at London Vet Show entitled ‘Rabbits: interpreting X-rays revealing common conditions’. Although this first session is not an interactive presentation, it will allow all of those who couldn’t get to the conference to see how delegates were able to benefit from the experience of a hands-on workshop, at one step removed and enjoy quality CPD for free.

Molly Varga at the London Vet Show

At 1pm on Thursday 22nd March, the talk is on ‘Guinea Pig and Rabbit Wellness Programmes’.

The final webinar ‘Guinea Pigs: Common Diseases and Critical Care’ takes place at 1pm on Thursday 26th April.

Molly Varga has proved to be a very successful speaker with great feedback received from attendees of previous webinars and the lunch and learn format is proving to be especially convenient, allowing vets and nurses to fit CPD into their normal working day, so early registration is strongly recommended.

Binky, the rabbit who was recently crowned Britain’s Cutest Bunny, has made it to the front cover of Recue Magazine! In a special feature, Rescue magazine tells the story of how Binky’s name came to fame in our Facebook competition and also focuses on the number of recue rabbits that were entered in to the competition, who are now enjoying happy lives having been re-homed.

The rescue rabbit that finished highest in the competition was a rabbit named Dylan, who finished in a very close second place. Dylan’s story was an unfortunate one – he was rescued in a terrible state from a glass tank in a garden centre, which said he was too ugly to sell and had, effectively, left him to die. When Dylan finished in second place, his owner was quick to point out the irony “A bunny that awful place said was ugly… second! Yay!”

Dylan the rescue bunny, came 2nd in the competition

The Facebook competition had a tremendous response, with Binky beating over 800 rabbits to come first. Binky’s prize will be to feature as the new face of our Selective packaging, plus he has won a year’s supply of Science Selective rabbit food and Supreme Meadow Hay.

Triinu Uprus, Binky’s owner said “He’s just my best friend ever. To have his picture on the packaging is amazing, but it’s the year’s supply of Science Selective and Supreme Meadow Hay that will make a difference to Binky’s life as he deserves the best.”

Since Binky has been enjoying his new found fame and his food prize, Triinu commented, “Binky just loves Supreme food, he can’t get enough of it! And as all the pellets are the same, there are no left-overs as he can’t be picky.”

The new packs featuring Binky’s picture, will be launched early next year. To keep up to date with the launch of the new packs and all the latest news from Supreme, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

A four month old lop from Birmingham has been selected as Britain’s Cutest Bunny and will appear on the packaging of Supreme Petfoods’ Science Selective rabbit food. Binky beat over 800 bunnies to win the title along with a year’s supply of Science Selective and Supreme Meadow Hay, as well as a digital SLR camera, after Supreme launched a Facebook promotion to find the new face of Selective. His owner, 21-year-old Triinu Uprus, reports that Binky is currently revelling in his new-found model fame.

Britain’s Cutest Bunny attracted an incredible 812 entrants, with over 10,000 people interacting with a special Facebook application produced by Supreme. “I was totally speechless when Binky won”, says Triinu, who was born in Tallinn, Estonia, and moved to the UK a year ago. “I entered the competition to win the food and hay as I want the very best for Binky. To have his picture on the packaging and to win a digital camera is amazing, but it’s just a bonus – it’s the food that will make a difference to Binky’s life as he deserves the best.”

The competition was launched on Supreme’s Facebook page at the start of September, with rabbit owners from around the UK invited to submit a photograph of their bunny together with a brief reason why they thought he/she should win. Facebook users then voted on their favourites, with the ten bunnies with the most votes at the closing date put forward to a judging panel consisting of members from Supreme, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund and Anna Meredith, a specialist rabbit vet. The winner was chosen based on their picture and their owners’ answers to a number of key questions about rabbit welfare and care.

“We’ve been absolutely astounded by the response”, says Supreme’s Marketing Manager Claire Hamblion. “We expected to receive a couple of hundred entrants, so to get over 800 is just incredible and goes to show the real passion and pride that rabbit owners have for their animals. And the true benefit is that we now have a Facebook community of approaching 2000 people who are keen to help us spread rabbit welfare messages and ensure bunnies throughout the UK are cared for correctly.”

According to his owner, Binky is a real character. “He’s extremely friendly but he’s also a little troublemaker and is very energetic”, she says. “He got his name because he runs around my flat like a mad thing, jumping into the air and showing off. He’s very mischievous and an extremely cheeky chap. But he’s also really affectionate and will quite happily cuddle up with me, lick my nose and fall asleep on my bed. And he’s compassionate too – he seems to understand when I’m feeling sad. He’s just my best friend ever.”

“The judges were impressed by Triinu’s obvious knowledge of rabbit care and welfare”, says Hamblion. “Not only is Binky very cute, but he’s also very lucky to have such a caring owner.” “I had a rabbit growing up and have loved them ever since”, explains Triinu. “They have such wonderful personalities and the more contact you give them, the more of that you see. When I moved to England a year ago I wanted a pet and felt that I really wanted the companionship and unconditional love that a bunny gives as I’ve always felt a connection with rabbits. Now I own Britain’s Cutest Bunny, and I can’t wait to see Binky on the Science Selective packaging.”

Supreme is hoping to find the nation’s most personality-packed bunny to feature on our packaging. We’re inviting rabbit owners up and down the country to submit pictures of their beautiful bunnies to our Facebook page over the next few weeks, with one lucky rabbit being selected to be photographed for our Selective Rabbit Food packaging.

To take part, simply visit www.facebook.com/supremepetfoods and upload a picture of your bunny to the Britain’s Cutest Bunny application, along with a short reason why you feel that your rabbit should win. Facebook users can then vote on their favourite pictures, with the ten bunnies gaining the most votes at the closing date being forwarded to a special judging panel. After the owners have answered some qualifying questions that demonstrate responsible pet ownership, the winning finalist will be snapped by a professional photographer at the owner’s home and will appear on the Selective Rabbit Food packaging.

“We want to take the opportunity to offer our customers and all rabbit owners something unique”, says Claire Hamblion, Supreme’s Marketing Manager. “Rabbits have such wonderful personalities, as anyone who looks after their bunny responsibly knows, and we want our packaging to reflect that. What better way than to seek out Britain’s cutest, most personality-packed bunny?”

“Rabbit owners are both passionate and devoted, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to immortalise their bunny on the packaging of one of the UK’s most popular pet foods. By Christmas, your rabbit could be looking back at you from the shelves of the country’s largest pet shops.”

The Britain’s Cutest Bunny competition runs until Monday 26^th September, after which the ten rabbits with the most votes will be presented to a judging panel including of members of Supreme Petfoods, the RWAF (Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund) and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. The winner will be notified by Friday 30^th September, and photography will take place the following week. “With animal welfare being front of mind, we will be asking all ten finalists some questions about how they keep their rabbits, such as the size of the hutch, whether they have companionship and what their diet consists of”, adds Hamblion. “We will then arrange to photograph the winning bunny at the owner’s house, rather than putting the rabbit through the unnecessary stress of travel.”

Click here to enter your pet now!

YORKSHIRE RAT CLUB

1 Star Show

Saturday 20th August 2011

Todwick Village Hall, Kiveton Lane, Todwick, Nr Sheffield S26 1HJ

Doors Open 10.30 AM Judging starts 11.30 AM

Varieties Judge: Julie Oliver (Wisbech)
Pet Judge: Cat Mace (Leeds)

Show Secretary: Sheena Stratton

Entries sheenalizzy@aol.com or 01302 329 399 (Answerphone so please leave a message).

Entries: £1.25 Members
£1.80 Non Members

Late entries / alterations may be charged a surcharge. Withdrawals made after the close of entries will be charged for.

Limited Number of Hire Tanks with or without shavings or cardboard substrate £1.25 per tank. Please book at time of entry.

Late entries may be accepted at the show secretaries discretion up to 11.00 on day of show at a cost of £2 per rat.

Stalls: Sarah’s Rat Accessories, Philosophy Fox’s Ratty Creations, YRC Promotions, Club Shop

* The Yorkshire Rat Club is proud to be supported by Supreme Petfoods *

PLEASE NOTE DUE TO HALL RULES THERE WILL BE NO AGILITY AND NO SHOULDER RATS AT THIS SHOW.

Critical Care of Rabbits

Thursday 15th September 1pm–2pm

Take advantage of the latest in our series of free CPD webinars!

Supreme Petfoods and the Webinar Vet is pleased to announce the fourth in this special series of complimentary ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinars.

In this latest ‘Lunch and Learn’ Molly Varga, recognised specialist in Wildlife, Exotic and Zoological Veterinary Medicine, will discuss the critical care of rabbits and cover monitoring parameters for intensive care, placing IV catheters, feeding tubes etc, fluid therapy including flow rate calculations, nutrition and nutritional requirement calculations, and behavioural and welfare considerations.

Molly Varga, specialist in Wildlife, Exotic & Zoological Veterinary Medicine

The demand for our previous webinars “Rabbit Anaesthesia and Post-op Care” “Gastro-Intestinal Disorders in Rabbits” and“Disorders of the Urinary Tract in Rabbits” was overwhelming, and are FREE to view in our archive. Make sure you don’t miss out – learn more now!

Remember, our “Critical Care of Rabbits” webinar is also absolutely free to attend!

To register, click here

Flystrike occurs when flies lay their eggs around a rabbit’s bottom, or in droppings around the hutch. The eggs hatch into maggots which feed on the droppings and eventually the rabbit, burrowing into its flesh.

Sound horrible? It is.

Prevention is better than cure – if caught quickly enough, some rabbits can be successfully treated, but BE WARNED flystrike is often fatal!

Effective and regular hutch hygiene and good health care is by far the best defence. A quality balanced diet can also make a difference, as sticky bottoms, which can be caused by by poor nutrition, attract flies.

Follow Russel Rabbit’s 3-step guide to flystrike and make sure your rabbit is not at risk!

If you are ever worried about your rabbit’s health or wellbeing, always ask for advice from your nearest vet.

Thursday 28th July 1pm–2pm.

Take advantage of the latest in our series of free CPD webinars!

Supreme Petfoods and the Webinar Vet is pleased to announce the third in this special series of complimentary ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinars.

In this latest ‘Lunch and Learn’ Molly Varga, BVetMed CertZooMed DZooMed (Mamallian) MRCVS, will discuss Rabbit anaesthesia and post-op care to cover choice of anaesthetics, monitoring, peri-anaesthetic considerations such as provision of fluids, analgesia and assist feeding.

The demand for our previous webinars “Gastro-Intestinal Disorders in Rabbits” and “Disorders of the Urinary Tract in Rabbits” was overwhelming, so make sure you don’t miss out – register now!

Remember, this ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinar is absolutely free to attend!

To register, click here

Also, coming soon!

Critical Care of Rabbits, Thursday 15th September 1 – 2 pm

The video, which demonstrates how rabbits are often neglected, is accompanied by a heartrending song written and recorded by Maria Daines. The song and video aim to raise awareness of the lack of care that many pet rabbits face – as Maria puts it… as ‘garden ghosts’.

A recent Animal Wellbeing report from the PDSA, found that over 150,000 rabbits live in hutches that are too small, whilst 1.1 million rabbits live alone.

Dr Shirley Seaman, an animal welfare scientist said “The Report’s statistics are very worrying. Rabbits are a naturally social species and it is really important that they are kept with other rabbits. Keeping them on their own is likely to have a highly detrimental effect on their welfare.”

If you think that you could improve on your pet rabbit’s environment, there are lots of helpful hints, tips and stories on the RWAF’s website – so why not take a look and see if you’re giving your pet rabbit evereything he needs.