Pet charity launches new Shropshire scheme

The charity, which has its headquarters in Priorslee, Telford, is linking up with Wellington-based vets Wrekin View, and the Animal Trust, for PDSA Pet Care, which will help eligible pet owners get veterinary care at reduced cost, and other benefits.

To join, pet owners must be in receipt of housing benefit, council tax support, or universal credit with housing element.

Wrekin View will launch its scheme on June 3 for those living in postcodes TF1 to TF4, TF7 and TF9. The Animal Trust will open its scheme on July 1 covering the same postcodes, and also postcodes SY1 to SY3.

For £4.50 per month or £54 a year, PDSA Pet Care provides members with benefits which include one vet health consultation a year, one vaccination or booster every year including a pet wellbeing MOT or health check, a 20 per cent discount on full-price vet treatments, and access to a PDSA Helpline giving round-the-clock pet care advice from qualified vet nurses.

The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals provides low cost and free pet care to the sick and injured pets of people in need, and to qualify for PDSA services pet owners need to be in receipt of eligible benefits and live within the postcode catchment area of a PDSA pet hospital or PDSA pet clinic.

"We have never had a PDSA pet hospital or clinic in Telford. However, we used to offer provision with the support of various local vet practices which had agreed to help PDSA clients locally," said a spokeswoman for the charity.

"We did have a bit of a review last year with regard to that service. A lot of vet practices weren't necessarily particularly happy with the way it worked and we had to review exactly how to deliver in areas in which we don't have hospitals.

"The result of that is that we did stop the scheme for new clients temporarily, although we did continue to support existing clients. Anybody already registered on the scheme continued to have support.

"We are now launching our replacement scheme in the area."