Our purpose
To drive excellence in veterinary practice to improve the health and welfare of small animals.
Our mission
To fund vital clinical research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of pets, so that vets always have the knowledge they need to counter the distress and pain caused by those diseases.
Who we are
BSAVA PetSavers was founded by a group of veterinary surgeons in 1974 and to this day, our charity continues to be run by a band of enthusiastic, dedicated vets and vet nurses. The majority of the committee members are in general practice and are fully aware of how vital the research is in addressing risks posed to our pets’ health. Importantly, BSAVA PetSavers is almost unique in being one of the few charities concerned with promoting the study of medical and surgical conditions in pets without the use of experimental animals, and this is a principle that we have followed throughout the past 40 years.
To achieve our aim, we award grants to researchers in universities, practices and research organisations enabling veterinary surgeons and nurses to advance clinical investigations into the problems associated with pet animal medicine and surgery. Only studies involving naturally occurring diseases in small animals are considered and are undertaken to the highest ethical, scientific and veterinary standards.
Read about some of our funded projects to see the impact of our work
Funded solely by charitable donations, BSAVA PetSavers has invested more than £2 million in vital clinical research and training programmes over the past 40 years, in areas as diverse as kidney disease, anaemia, diabetes, feline leukaemia, deafness, cancer and heart disease, to name just a few.
Pet animals are subject to many illnesses and, while there are several charities devoted to the prevention of cruelty and suffering, few are concerned with the study and improvement of pet medicine and surgery.
We continue to be the UK’s leading veterinary charity provider of grants solely dedicated to supporting clinical research into companion animal diseases and helping pets enjoy longer and healthier lives.
See what grants are available to support veterinary research and apply here