Discount Desexing Project Funded

[skyesblue]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/pet-de-sexing-project-set-to-go-national/story-e6frg8y6-1226048004701

PHILANTHROPIST businesswoman Jan Cameron is funding a multi-million-dollar national network of not-for-profit veterinary centres -- or "public hospitals for animals"-- to slash the cost of de-sexing cats and dogs.

It is hoped this could end the cruelty of having at least one-third of all dogs and up to two-thirds of cats put down nationally because they are unwanted.

The wealthy founder of the Kathmandu outdoor goods chain said she planned to fund five fixed and two mobile clinics in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.

These community vet clinics, the first of which is running in Hobart, will offer cut-price de-sexing and other procedures for pets of people who would otherwise struggle to afford the cost.

The Hobart-based Ms Cameron is calling for public donations to expand the project, with the aim of "getting to zero" the number of unwanted cats and dogs being put down.

"This is a national issue that people despair about and throw their hands up at but there is a solution," Ms Cameron said.

"The primary goal is to bring the population under control so these domestic pets do have homes ultimately and are not suffering out on the streets, and not causing any damage to native wildlife. The idea is to end this cycle of destruction of having to kill hundreds of thousands of animals every year that are not wanted."

Modelled on the success of a clinic run by Animal Welfare League Queensland on the Gold Coast, which has slashed the number of unwanted cats and dogs being euthanased, Ms Cameron said the clinics would offer "radically lower" prices.

The de-sexing of a female cat will cost $94, rather than commercial rates of $150-$200, while de-sexing of a female dog will be $194, compared with commercial rates of $250-$400.

Edited February 28, 2012 by skyesblue

[Chris the Rebel Wolf]

Big okay from me! I see a lot of people come through the pet store where I work - some have lots of money to spend, some have some money, some have little, that's the reality. With vet bulls like most things only going up, projects like this will be very beneficial I think. Well done Jan Cameron!

[SarahJ88]

This sounds exactly like the national desexing network My link I was actually going to sign up for it when we got our dog desexed as they had the vet we use and tehn the next day it got removed ugh! So had to pay $350 for her to get desexed, thankfully pet insurance allows me to claim $150 of benefits a year so they reimbursed some of it.