Transporting all our furry patients home after their veterinary treatment and operations, we then continue to monitor their progress and aftercare. This is demanding but crucial, because checking on their health and living conditions is probably the single most important thing we can do to bring about a lasting change in their wellbeing - and, often, that of many rural animals around them.
Many homesteads are only accessible in a 4 wheel drive vehicle and in our earlier years, we had the use of a friend's old Toyota pick-up (the 'Red Racing Snail)' which was ideal. Now replaced by a similar vintage white pick-up, the "new" animal ambulance copes equally well with our rough roads and these house calls are invaluable, allowing us to see the animals in their home environment, where we can readily suggest improvements without appearing judgemental. They also help to reinforce our relationship with their owners, reassuring them that they have somewhere to turn in times of crisis.
