Max the Staffy on the mend at Coast Animal Hospital. 

After years on his own and some time out of the workforce, Kanwal resident Kerin decided to bring a dog into his life. Once Max became part of his daily routine, Kerin soon couldn’t imagine life without the frisky American Staffy. 

“He’s my mate,” Kerin says. “I got him as a pup and we’ve been together ever since.” 

Now a year old, Max’s size belies his young age.  

“He’s big,” Kerin says. “I like to surf and ride my bike, and he’ll come sometimes, but most of the time we just go on walks together. He’s always with me.” 

So when Max’s attitude began to change, Kerin noticed. He also noticed a sizeable lump on Max’s chin. 

“At first, I couldn’t tell what was going on. He’s all black, so the lump was hard to see. When I touched it, he started crying, so we went straight to the vet.” 

Kerin’s local vet advised he would need further investigation and treatment.  

“And then they told me how much it would cost to take it out, and I couldn’t pay it, 
Kerin recalls. “I wasn’t working at the time so I just didn’t have the money.” 

Faced with a bill just shy of $2,000, Kerin began to contemplate having to let Max live with the painful growth while he saved for the procedure. Then the vet told him about PetSafetyNet, a free 24-hour vet telehealth service complemented with subsidsed urgent in-clinic care. 

“They said I might be eligible for this service, so we contacted them and it worked out perfectly.” 

Co-built with VetPartners, VetChat and the Animal Referral and Emergency Centre (AREC), PetSafetyNet aims to provide more equitable access to veterinary care by helping to remove existing barriers for Australians facing hardship.  Currently operating in the NSW Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions, PetSafetyNet has so far supported over 190 pets and provided financial assistance worth more than $157,000. Telehealth services are delivered through VetChat, with in-clinic care provided through participating VetPartner clinics and out of hours emergency care at AREC.

The online eligibility process took around 10 minutes, Kerin says. “Probably not even that. It was so quick.” 

Max was supported through PetSafetyNet by nearby Coast Animal Hospital for surgery, while Kerin was left with a very agreeable final bill and incredible relief. “It cost me nothing at all,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it.” 

Later that same day, Max was ready to be picked up. 

“He’s excellent now,” Kerin says. “Completely back to normal. I’m so grateful; we both are. And the staff at the clinic were just beautiful.” 

PetSafetyNet is calling on Central Coast and Hunter region pet carers who are experiencing financial hardship, receiving Centrelink benefits and require access to urgent veterinary care for a sick dog or cat to visit the PetSafetyNet website to check their eligibility and access the service. 

Kerin says the service was a great relief after an intensely stressful situation. 

“When this kind of thing happens, when you take your dog to the vet and you haven’t got the money, you just stress out,” he says. “If they hadn’t told me about SafetyNet, I don’t know what we would have done.” 

Visit petsafetynet.com.au to learn more.