Volunteer vets give pets a pre-Christmas check

An animal welfare charity has helped dozens of cats and dogs to have a happier, healthier Christmas with a free drop-in clinic.

More than 90 pets were seen by volunteer vets at the one-off event in Bradwell staged by the RSPCA's East Norfolk branch. Every animal was given a thorough check and micro-chipped to the delight of owners who appreciated the caring effort.

The four-legged friends also received free flea and worming treatments and were handed neutering vouchers where appropriate. Debra Cook, manager at the Tarworks Road branch, said she was delighted with the turnout which saw three vets working back to back seeing a constant stream of pet-patients.

For many owners it was a chance to talk through niggling worries about their animal's health and receive reassurance.

But for a few there was a real chance their puss or pooch could have something more serious and more tests were ordered at the regular Yarmouth clinic.

Mrs Cook said people really appreciated the free clinic, especially at Christmas when finances would not always stretch to a trip to the vet.

'There were a few that had issues with teeth and those that had ear and skin problems who were referred to our clinics and will benefit from discounted prescriptions,' she said. 'To see 93 in five hours is quite a lot, the vets didn't have a break at all.'

She added that many of the owners were 'overwhelmed' and grateful to the charity for laying on the much-needed action day and helping to alleviate their fears about the condition of their pet for free

Tarworks Road, which has a vet available two days a week, sees around 1500 owned animals a year.

The vets who helped on the day were Amy Pemberton, Faye Bethell, and Sharon Button. Linda Holland from Cats Protection Anglia and District was also on hand.