Wanting to ensure family pets receive the medical care they require, ACT Pet Crisis Support helps struggling owners pay their veterinary bills. Taking it one step further, founder Dr Eloise Bright has launched the Tiny Veterinary Clinic, which travels across the Canberra region offering a drop-in service.

Moving back to Canberra in 2019, Dr Bright noticed there were not enough veterinary services for people who are financially struggling. Working at a local vet practice, 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 because I could see that it was just a broken leg, no other injuries, I knew that was fixable, it wasn’t anything particularly bad … I got it signed over to me and I paid for the costs and then it ended up 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.  Also working with Pets in the Park, an initiative where vets help people without home care for their pets through a pop-up clinic, Dr Bright heard about a charity in Melbourne.

“It’s essentially what we do now, they help people who would otherwise have to euthanise their pets for a treatable medical condition. A few people from Pets in the Park helped and we set up the charity and we’ve now helped almost 500 people,” she says.

Last year, the organisation was awarded a $30,000 grant from Petspiration Group to progress further and invest in the Tiny Veterinary Clinic. Knowing there were still animals out there in need of help, with some never making it to the vet, Dr Bright wanted to give these owners an option of care.

“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 home to tiny clinic, the grant money was used to transform the mobile space with the help of a volunteer tradesman. The first clinic was held in Oaks Estate and, with a few volunteers assisting her, Dr Bright saw more than 10 pets on their examination bench. Demand has remained steady, and the 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 strict bills, the clinic encourages people to pay what they can, usually asking for about $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, so we’ll still treat their pets in their case,” 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 some kind of proof of ownership of the pet, such as microchipping paperwork or even a collection of photos from the pet’s life on your phone.

“Just so that we know that we’re not bringing some random family member’s pet or something to the clinic,” she says.

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 sometimes circumstances change.  

“The amount of pets that we get at the RSPCA that are surrendered because the owners can’t afford the care; I think the saddest thing is it’s often older people that do that, particularly when they start having health problems themselves.”

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. One major factor is mental health, with experts often recommending pets for people who may be experiencing some difficulties as pets combat loneliness and make us feel loved.

“Someone recently said to me – she’s got severe mental health and self-harm issues – she said now she’s got a dog she doesn’t have this urge to self-harm because she knows she’s got something else that’s relying on her,” explains Dr Bright.

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 also just not a lot of education on the cost of pet ownership and that responsibility. You can get a pet quite easily, you can see them on Gumtree people 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 the clinic covers would be about $700. The clinics cost only around $200 to run with those involved volunteering their time and expertise.

“We’re really just paying for medications and supplies those sorts of things. I feel like we’re going to chew through the rest of that grant pretty quickly. We’re applying 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 through the ACT Pet Crisis Support recently made a $1,000 donation. She says several volunteers at the organisation have been in situations where they needed help with their pets.

“A lot of our supporters can picture themselves in that position.”

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

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