For many locals their pets are more than an animal in the backyard, they're part of the family, and it's important to keep them healthy and happy.
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An easy way of minimising potential health risks in your cat or dog is by getting them desexed.
Bathurst Regional Council in partnership with the RSCPA is helping locals cover the costs that come with desexing a pet as part of the animal desexing program.
Stewart Street Veterinary Hospital and Bathurst Central Animal Hospital are both participating in the scheme with Stewart Street Vet's vet nurse Alli Hundy commending the initiative.
"It's really important, I guess it's something that in more recent years has become something people are more aware of," Ms Hundy said.
"I've been here for 10 years now and I've definitely seen a decline in the amount of unwanted animals and animals that need to be euthanised as strays.
"I really think it's due to schemes like this that encourage people to get their animals desexed."
The program will run for the month of November and is open to pensioners, NewStart/Jobseeker and healthcare card holders who are residents of the Bathurst LGA.
There are only a limited number of spots so booking your pet in is essential and it must be microchipped and identified on the microchip register system to be eligible for the program.
Not only will desexing your pet stop unwanted litters but it has a number of other benefits as well.
"It can stop male cats and male dogs from roaming, from getting out of the yard, and desexing females can prevent health problems, and males dogs as well it can prevent health problems in the future," Ms Hundy said.
"We do only have limited spots so it's really important that if people are eligible they get down to the clinic and fill out the application form and pay the subsidised amount to secure their spot."
The subsidised cost for desexing your pet is; $70 for a female dog, $55 for a male dog, $55 for a female cat and $40 for a male cat.
To register contact either Stewart Street Veterinary Hospital on 6331 1222 or Bathurst Central Animal Hospital on 6332 5800.
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