Healthy, Happy Pets
Healthy, Happy Pets
Helping pet owners become pet heroes
Helping pet owners become pet heroes
By identifying common challenges faced by loving pet owners and measuring the impact of practical interventions, we’re championing pet ownership and safeguarding the wellbeing of both pets and their people.
Let’s make us better pet parents
Help keep pets healthy and happy at home
Our pets have such a significant, positive impact on our lives - but they need our help to stay safe and well. Whether it’s the unintended consequences of unplanned breeding, or making sure the living conditions of our pets meet their mental and physical needs, there’s lots that can make a big difference to the quality of our fur babies’ lives.
Over the longer-term, behavioural or health issues can also lead loving pet owners to surrender their pets - a tragedy for both the animals and their people.
There are simple, low cost things we can all do to keep our dogs and cats safe and well. But often, challenges accessing affordable vet care get in the way, causing stress for loving owners and impacting the lives of their pets.
At Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, we’re focused on helping every pet owner access the information and support they need for their pets to thrive.
What we're doing
Contributing to the latest evidence about keeping pets safe and well
Promoting easy, low cost actions that improve pet health and wellbeing
Using Community Cat Programs to help people in disadvantaged areas with cat desexing and other steps to support the health and wellbeing of cats (and the people caring for them)
Advocating for community vet clinics and funded support in disadvantaged areas
Lobbying for ‘Veticare’ (an animal-focused funding model like Medicare)
Tackling some of the barriers to pet owners providing good quality of life for their pets
Highlighting the importance of easy access to support in addressing pet behavioural and health issues
Researching key health topics that impact cats, dogs and their people
How you can help
Be proactive about keeping your pet healthy and safe!
Vaccinate and microchip your pet
Stay on top of routine pet preventative measures (for fleas and ticks)
If you’re worried, seek vet advice earlier (rather than later) - and research options for low-cost options in your area
Offer a struggling pet owner practical help with things like walking, pet-sitting and trips to the vet
Make a donation to promote healthy, happy pets!
Helping people care for the pets they love
Tigger, a 5kg ginger tom assumed to be feral, was trapped after behaving aggressively towards a local resident and their cat. Taken in under the Community Cat Program, he was desexed, microchipped and ear-tipped before being returned to where he’d been found.
A week later, Tigger’s loving family presented him to a veterinary clinic for desexing, microchipping and vaccination, not realising it had already been done.
The family had been ‘adopted’ by Tigger three years previously
When they moved house, they brought him with them
At that time, they couldn’t afford to pay for desexing and microchipping
But on the day Tigger’s carers presented at the vets, they had finally saved enough money to get it done.
With Tigger now tagged and neutered, and his newly registered owners given advice on how to keep him securely inside at night, the reunited family could look forward to a healthy, happy future together.
