Allianz Animal Health Insurance's subsidiary Petplan has pledged to help UK veterinary practices celebrate Christmas in style this year.

The company is running a competition that offers practices the chance to win a donation of £1,000 towards their festive party, simply by visiting the firm's dedicated veterinary website.

According to a statement, the competition will be open until Wednesday November 30th 2011.

"We know how hard vet practices across the country have been working and we want to thank them for their tireless efforts," said Simon Masding, head of sales and partnerships at Petplan.

The pet insurance provider recently urged animal lovers to keep a particularly close eye on their pets during November, as the traditional celebrations involving fireworks can lead to injuries.

It reported that an estimated 60 per cent of all pets experience stress when fireworks are let off, with loud noises and bright lights often causing them to panic.