In partnership with Royal Canin, PDSA’s Big Weigh In returns for 2024. Throughout February and March this year, we’re encouraging pet owners to get their pet weighed and body condition scored at their local vets, to help tackle the growing pet obesity epidemic.
The inaugural campaign reached a total audience of more than 3.2 million when it launched in 2023 and it’s vital that as an industry, we continue to work together to help support owners in managing the weight and health of their pets throughout their life. Being overweight puts pets at risk of developing a number of health concerns, with studies revealing that excess weight is linked with a reduced life span in dogs1 and cats2.
We’re excited to see over 500 practices signed up to participate in PDSA’s Big Weigh In in 2024. If you haven’t yet signed up, there is still some time.
REGISTER YOUR PRACTICE HERE!
To those practices that have signed up, we want to say a huge thank you for taking part in PDSA’s Big Weigh In.
To support your conversations and offer pets tailored nutritional solutions to support healthy weight, you have access to an exclusive promotion. Throughout the campaign, we’re offering a Buy 4 Get 1 Free on selected ROYAL CANIN® Weight Management diets*. View the offer sheet here and remember to order through your Veterinary Business Manager.
We’re also excited to share a new Support Scheme to help your patients achieve weight loss. Throughout PDSA’s Big Weigh In campaign, we want to help pet owners overcome pet obesity – but we know there are barriers associated with getting pets to their ideal weight.
This year, each practice that has signed up for the campaign will be able to submit up to 2 patient cases to PDSA’s Big Weigh In Support Scheme. What this means is that Royal Canin will sponsor the weight loss journey of 6 pets for 6 months, including funded nutrition and check-in appointments with your patient. To find out more about the Support Scheme click here.
PDSA is the UK’s largest vet charity providing a vital service for pets across the UK whose owners struggle to afford treatment costs for their sick and injured pets. For many vulnerable pets, PDSA is there to help when there is nowhere else for their owners to turn.
For further information about PDSA’s Big Weigh In campaign, and to download PDSA’s free resources, click here.
*Terms and Conditions of the PDSA’s Big Weigh In Campaign
- Duration of campaign: 1st February 2024 until 31st March 2024
- Participating in this campaign involves consenting to provide the practice name, postcode and contact telephone number on a list of participating practices on PDSA’s Big Weigh In campaign web pages.
- As a participating practice, you are agreeing that an appropriately trained member of staff will weigh and body condition score (BCS) pets that are brought to your surgery during the campaign period without charge.
- Participating practices agree to record the the pet’s details, including species, breed, weight and BCS on the digital database.
- Members of the public will be able to contact the veterinary practice to arrange a suitable time to ‘drop in’ to have their pet weighed, but this does not need to be a formal consultation appointment.
- Any follow-up appointments, consultations, advice and subsequent charges are at the discretion of the practice.
- Royal Canin will donate £1 to PDSA (Registered Charity Numbers 208217 & SC037585) for every submission of a verified Body Condition Score through Royal Canin’s website, committing to donating a maximum of £2,000 during the Big Weigh In campaign period.
- For Terms and Conditions related to the promotional offer associated with this campaign, please refer to the offer sheet.
- Big Weigh In appointments cannot be made at any PDSA Pet Hospital, only at participating vet practices listed.
1 Salt C et al. Association between life span and body condition in neutered client-owned dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2018;1-11.
2 Teng KT et al. Strong associations of 9-point body condition scoring with survival and life span in cats. J Feline Med Surg 2018;1-9.