The tiny clinic making a BIG difference

Already providing a critical service by helping struggling owners pay their veterinary bills, founder of ACT Pet Crisis Support Dr Eloise Bright has taken the offering one step further by launching the Tiny Veterinary Clinic, which travels across the Canberra region offering a drop-in service.

AnimalCare spoke with Dr Bright about the vital venture.

“It all started in 2019 when I moved back to Canberra. I was working at a local vet practice when a young man brought in his cat with a broken leg; being the sole earner in his family, he couldn’t afford a consultation fee let alone the X-rays and cost of treatment.

“I just couldn’t face euthanising it over a broken leg. I knew that was fixable, so I got it signed over to me, I paid for the costs and then it ended up staying with us for a while,” says Dr Bright.

“Next was the runt of a puppy litter that nearly died, and then another cat that was facing euthanasia. It was obvious there just aren’t enough veterinary services for people who are struggling financially.

“I heard about Pets in the Park, an initiative where vets help people without home care for their pets through a pop-up clinic, and decided to try and offer a similar service. A few people from Pets in the Park helped as we set up the charity. We’ve now helped more than 550 people,” she says.

Knowing there were still animals in need of help however, with some never making it to the vet, Dr Bright wanted to offer another option of care. Late last year, the organisation was awarded a $30,000 grant from Petstock Foundation to progress further and the concept of the Tiny Veterinary Clinic became a reality.

“There are people out there that just never take their pets to the vet because they’re just too scared about what it’s going to cost,” says Dr Bright.

From tiny practice to tiny clinic, the grant money was used to transform a van with the help of a volunteer tradesman. The first clinic held saw more than 10 pets on the examination bench, and demand has continued to grow. The mobile clinic now operates weekly with four different locations on the roster. Pet owners can find out where the clinic will be each week via the website.

With no set bills, the clinic encourages people to pay what they can, usually asking for $20 for a vaccination appointment while microchipping is free. Dr Bright is hoping with people paying small fees when they can, it will help cover the medication costs and keep the mobile clinic on the road.

“Some people just literally can’t afford anything, and we won’t turn them away,” she says.

When bringing a pet to the clinic, owners are asked to provide proof of low income, like a health care card, as well as proof of ownership of the pet, such as microchipping paperwork or even a collection of photos from the pet’s life on their phone.

Dividing her time between the crisis support and clinic, her at-home pet behavioural business and her role as a vet at RSPCA ACT, Dr Bright is motivated by the love of animals. She understands that pet ownership is different for each person and that unfortunately, sometimes circumstances change.

“The number of pets that are being surrendered because the owners can’t afford the care is heartbreaking; if we can help in some small way, we do,” explains Dr Bright.

Addressing the notion that you shouldn’t have a pet if you can’t afford medical costs, Dr Bright says it isn’t as simple as dictating who should be allowed a pet.

“Often, people don’t factor in vet costs, particularly if they didn’t pay much for their pet, and can be shocked when they receive their first bill, or even worse, an emergency appointment.

“There’s just not enough education about the cost of pet ownership and the responsibilities that come with it. You can get a pet quite easily, you see people on social media giving away their dogs, it’s kind of horrifying,” she says.

Even those who have done all the research can find themselves in unexpected situations. Recently, they helped a young weed spraying contractor, who due to the heavy rains hadn’t been able to work. So, when his ten-week-old puppy was hit by a car and had its leg broken, he found himself unable to afford the bills.

“So, he’s fallen behind on all his bills and can’t afford to treat this dog. Obviously, you don’t plan for these things; you don’t plan for your dog to get injured and to have to pay for surgery and so we helped him,” she says.

With animals coming in quite sick, Dr Bright estimates the average vet bill that the clinic covers would be about $700. They pay for medications and supplies, but with demand rising she feels like they're going to chew through the subsequent grant quickly. They continue to apply to various organisations to get ongoing funding.

Open to donations, Dr Bright says they appreciate it when people can pay it forward; for example, a pet owner they helped last year recently made a $1,000 donation, and several people who needed help with their pets are now volunteers.

Find out more about ACT Pet Crisis Support and the Tiny Veterinary Clinic at actpetcrisis.com