Help get an animal rescue vehicle on the road.
Almost every call that comes in to Vets for Compassion is a matter of life and death. An orphaned joey, struggling to keep warm in her dead mother’s pouch. A baby possum covered in ticks. A mother cat foraging for scraps so she can keep her babies alive.
For a sick or injured animal, every second counts. Even the slightest delay in rescue can mean the difference between life and death.
Will you help Vets for Compassion buy a new rescue vehicle, so that we can reach the next animal who needs us in time to save their life?
How your gift will help animals
Vets for Compassion currently has a fleet of four rescue vehicles that our rescuers rely on to reach sick and injured animals across Victoria.
As the demand for our services increases, especially during the peak summer period, we urgently need another rescue vehicle. Our vehicles are specially equipped for animal rescue, and include:
- Additional external lights to keep rescuers and animals safe at night
- A fridge, to store drugs and medications
- Fire extinguishers and blankets
- Drawers for storage
“Being able to respond efficiently and effectively with the right vehicle makes all the difference to an animal in an emergency situation.”
– Mel, Vets for Compassion Volunteer Rescuer.
“I heard a distinctive rattle on his breath…”
Vicky got the call at 1am. A couple had come across a small wombat, and he was following them. “When they told me they picked him up and put him in their car, I was shocked,” Vicky says. “A healthy wombat should flee from people. “
Vicky knew there wasn’t a moment to spare. Her partner Brendan rushed to pick the little wombat up. And when Vicky sat down to assess him, something amazing happened. “He climbed up onto my lap, put his head on my chest, and went to sleep. I heard the distinctive rattle of pneumonia on his breath,” Vicky says.
Vicky got to work on the little guy immediately. She warmed him up, gave him fluids and treated him for the many ticks she found. Then she headed over to Vets for Compassion’s volunteer vets, Elaine and Chris, who treated him for his pneumonia.
Once Elaine and Chris were happy with his condition, Vicky brought the wombat home. She and Brendan named him Football, because he loves playing and curling up with a soccer ball. “I hate to think what might have happened to Football if we weren’t able to reach him in time…” Vicky says.
About Vets for Compassion
Vets for Compassion provides urgent, expert, on-the-ground veterinary help for animals in pain or distress across Victoria.
We are a collective of vets, vet nurses and animal rescuers who volunteer their time to help animals in need across Victoria.
We aim to deliver expert veterinary care to every animal who needs us – whether native or non-native, companion or farmed. Our work is varied and expansive, and includes:
- Treating critically injured animals
- Rescuing stranded or stray animals
- De-sexing stray cats and dogs
- Responding to natural disasters (especially bushfires)
