RURAL VETS cry out for support

REGIONAL AUSTRALIA IS FACING A VET SHORTAGE. DR SARAH GOLDING IS ON A MISSION TO CHANGE IT

- Katherine Chatfield

There’s no average day for Dr Sarah Golding. This week alone, the rural veterinarian has treated an alpaca with a sore eye, castrated a gelding, amputated a dog’s leg, gave a herd of cattle pregnancy tests, vaccinated a cat and looked for a foreign object in an unwell puppy.

“I love it because it is so diverse and rewarding,” Sarah, 34, tells New Idea from her home in Inverell, northern NSW.

“No doctor would carry out such a diverse range of care. It’s a beautiful community and a wonderful – but busy – lifestyle.”

Despite the joy Sarah gets from her job, she says being a vet – particularly one who works rurally – isn’t easy. And she’s not alone.

A recent NSW parliamentary inquiry into veterinary workforce shortages showed only eight percent of the state’s vets lived in rural or regional areas, including some of Australia’s stocking heartlands like the central west and Riverina.