Perth Vet Bill Assistance: charity receives funding boost

A MORLEY charity that has helped about 100 pet owners pay vet bills they could not afford received an extra boost last month.

Perth Vet Bill Assistance received a $1000 grant from P&N Bank.

Started by Morley resident Tammy Rodrigues in 2014, nearly $100,000 worth of surgeries and vet appointments for horses, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs have been funded.

Ms Rodridgues, a former vet nurse who also used to work at Cat Haven in Shenton Park, said she often saw owners who could not afford treatment or the compulsory sterilisation and micro chipping required under cat laws introduced in 2013.

“People working in shelters were reporting that pensioners can’t afford to do all that and are surrendering their cats,” she said.

“I thought this is stupid, if everyone chipped in, we would be able to help them keep their pets.

“When you work at a vet clinic, you see a lot of people say ‘I can’t afford treatment so let’s opt for euthanasia’ – you see animals that could have been helped to get better, put down because of the cost.”

Ms Rodrigues said Swan Vet in Midvale did a lot of work for them at discounted prices because they were a charity, which was “very generous”.

She said they looked for somebody who genuinely had the animal’s best interest at heart and could provide ongoing care for it after treatment.

Ms Rodrigues said the majority of people they had helped were now their main donators, who chipped in $1 or $5 a week.

P&N Morley branch manager Amy Martin said the bank was “delighted” to provide the funds.

For information or to donate to Perth Vet Bill Assistance go to http://www.perthvetbillassistance.com/.