Royal Canin has launched its second 'Weigh-in Club' competition to help cats and dogs lose weight safely.

Royal Canin says the competition is designed to reward veterinary nurses who work with their clients to tackle pet obesity effectively. Last year, it had over 170 registrations.

The competition is open to vet nurses whose clients' pets have undergone a supervised weight loss programme (being fed exclusively on Royal Canin diets) and have met their target weights. The overall winning nurse will receive £500 worth of high street shopping vouchers as well as £1,000 of equipment vouchers for their practice. Every nurse that submits a qualifying entry will receive a free silicone watch and two entries will win them a Royal Canin fleece.

Royal Canin's Gudi Stuttard said: "With canine and feline obesity on the increase, veterinary nurses have an important role to play in educating pet owners and supporting the weight loss process. That's why we're looking for the very best examples so that we can celebrate the success of nurses, practices and clients and demonstrate to other owners how important and achievable it is to help pets reach a healthy weight."

Participating practices will be sent competition materials for display, to encourage their weight-loss clients to take part in the competition. Nurses will also have the chance to track their entrants' progress on Royal Canin's new interactive website, where you can upload 'before and after' photos and compare weight loss with other competitors.

As an added incentive to pet owners, the overall winning client will receive free Royal Canin pet food for a year and £500 worth of high street shopping vouchers. The top 11 runners up will appear, alongside the winner, in an exclusive Royal Canin calendar and every owner that enters will receive a 'Company of Animals' Activity Pyramid to help them keep their pets in great shape. 

Vet nurses can register online by visiting www.weighinclub.royalcanin.co.uk. This year's competition closing date is 30 September 2012, with the winner and runners up announced at the end of November.

PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.