Motorists urged to slow down in suburban areas

By Virginia Leighton-Jackson, Bond University Journalism Student

Animal welfare groups are calling for motorists to take care and slow down in suburban areas, to avoid hitting family pets.

Representatives from the Animal Welfare League and the RSPCA encourage motorists to stop if they hit an animal, or if they find one on the road.

Varsity Lakes veterinary clinic GCARE’s head nurse, Melanie Szocs said there were too many animals being brought to the clinic as a result of being hit by vehicles.

‘We are an [all hours] clinic so all of the animals coming in at night get referred to us,’ said Ms Szocs.

She said the drivers, witnesses to the collision and Good Samaritans who find the animals later, often rush the injured pets to life saving treatment.

Road victims brought to the clinic are more often dogs, suffering broken bones in their back legs and pelvis.

“Cats run away, stunned, to hide,” said Ms Szocs.

She urged all pet owners to microchip their dog or cat, to speed up identification in emergency situations.

She also encouraged owners to take out an insurance policy such as PetPlan on their pets, to help ease the financial burden of caring for an injured animal.

If you see an animal on the road, pull over and call GCARE (Gold Coast Animal Referral and Emergency Clinic on (07) 55 934 544  for information on safely getting the animal to a vet.
 
GCARE is open 24 hours, seven days a week and is located at Unit 4, 75 Casua Drive, Varsity Lakes, QLD 4227