A BOURNEMOUTH veterinary surgery has appointed a dedicated pet wellbeing champion thanks to a £550,000 funding award to a national charity.

Hope Winn, who works as a vet care assistant at the PDSA Vet Hospital, on Castle Lane, is one of over 50 vets and nurses in the UK who have been given the new role, thanks to the funds presented to the cause.

Money has come from the People's Postcode Lottery after the PDSA warned of a potential crisis due to the 6.1million UK pets who are not receiving regular booster vaccinations and the 4.1million cats, dogs and rabbits who are not currently neutered. The charity says that this leaves pets exposed to a range of potentially deadly, preventable diseases, such as leptospirosis, womb infections and certain cancers.

Hope said: "The funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery means I can protect more local pets against diseases and educate more owners about preventive health.

"This will make a huge difference in tackling some of the biggest welfare issues facing our nation's pets."

The new Pet Wellbeing Champions will educate pet owners about preventive health and encourage them to get their cats, dogs and other pets up to date with vaccinations, neutering operations, parasite treatments and microchips.

Julie Rougvie, Marketing Manager at People’s Postcode Lottery, attended the launch of the new pet wellbeing champions initiative. She said: "We’re thrilled that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are able to support the PDSA’s new specialist vet team whose efforts will help protect pets in the UK.

"I’ve witnessed first-hand the PDSA’s vital work treating sick and injured pets, so I know the funding our players are providing is going towards a great animal welfare initiative."

Support from the People’s Postcode Lottery players will also fund open days at the charity’s pet hospitals, live Q and A sessions on the PDSA’s Facebook page and the creation of a new range of pet health advice materials.

Last year alone, over 478,000 UK pet owners turned to PDSA for help to care for their pets, which is a figure that the charity says has risen by more than 50-per-cent in recent years. Annually, it costs over £60 million to run PDSA’s charitable service.