Public education
Below you will find a series of client-facing resources that members can download to use in their clinic and/or their personal, professional or business social media channels.
The New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) is collaborating with Pet Refuge to deliver a series of posters to veterinary clinics throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. This initiative is supported by the Companion Animal Veterinarians Branch of the NZVA, Southern Cross Pet Insurance, SVS, and Elanco.
About Pet Refuge
Pet Refuge provides temporary shelter and care to pets while their families escape family violence. Once families are in a safe, pet-friendly home, Pet Refuge reunites pets with their owners to start a new life together.
New Zealand has one of the highest family violence rates in the world and, with more than 63% of households owning a companion animal, many victims are forced to choose between their safety and the safety of their pets. Many victims cannot take pets with them when seeking refuge and fear their pets will be harmed or killed if left behind.
The Pet Refuge shelter is a purpose-designed facility that provides temporary accommodation for pets. Enclosures feature heated floors for pets recovering from surgery or trauma and have been specially designed to provide spaces for pets to sleep, play and feel secure. Staff also provide bespoke training and enrichment plans to help pets heal and rehabilitate. The shelter houses all pets, no matter their size, breed or species, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, cows and more.
Pet Refuge covers all costs, including a national transport service, enrichment and training, a safe bed and veterinary treatments. At least once a week, a veterinarian visits the shelter for a full day to conduct health checks and administer vaccinations or booster shots. Sadly, over 90% of the pets require further veterinary treatment such as dental, medication, desexing, diagnostic testing and/or major surgery. These pets are given a recovery plan to ensure they get the treatment they need to recover.
What you can do
As trusted animal healthcare providers, your clinic can play a valuable role in raising awareness about how family violence impacts animal welfare and where people can seek help.
In April 2025, the Elanco team sent a series of posters to clinics with NZVA members to help raise awareness about the important mahi Pet Refuge does. You can also download digital copies of the posters to print in-house.
We have included some information about each poster and suggested areas to hang them below.
- The poster featuring a ginger cat is a high-level introduction to Pet Refuge. This poster has been designed for clinic waiting rooms.
- The poster featuring three dogs running through a field provides detail about the level of care Pet Refuge provides, at no cost to the family. It has been designed for clinic consult rooms.
- The poster featuring a dog against a black background reinforces how to access Pet Refuge services. It has been designed for clinic bathrooms.
- Social media (portrait) — Be kind to your vet team (companion animal) [PNG]
- Social media (square) — Be kind to your vet team (companion animal) [PNG]
- Poster — Be kind to our staff (large animal) [PDF]
- Social media (portrait) — Be kind to your vet team (large animal) [PNG]
- Social media (square) — Be kind to your vet team (large animal) [PNG]
The ‘Animal Emergency? Think P.E.T’ campaign is a public education initiative encouraging companion animal owners to follow three simple steps when their veterinary clinic is closed. P.E.T stands for:
- Pause. Think for a moment about whether your pet needs emergency care or could be seen by their vet during normal business hours.
- Emergency call. Phone your vet clinic for advice if you think your pet needs emergency care or you’re unsure.
- Take. Follow the advice you receive to either take your pet to an emergency clinic, or book an appointment during normal business hours.
What you can do
We need your help to make this campaign as successful as possible, and would greatly appreciate your support with the following:
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Have a clear phone message: If you’re in clinical practice, ensure your business’ phone message includes instructions about what animal owners should do in an emergency. We are asking owners to always ring their vet for advice before arriving at a clinic with their animals.
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Share our resources: We have a range of emergency care resources for you to share in your business and networks, including social media graphics, posters, digital screen banners and email signature.
As trusted professionals, veterinarians play a unique and valuable role when it comes to advocating for pet healthcare budgeting options. It's important for pet owners to understand the costs of pet care and veterinary treatment for their animals. This may include (but is not limited to) pet insurance.
You can help clients by:
- explaining the costs of basic treatment for their pets
- discussing common accidents or illnesses their pets may experience in their lifetimes
- encouraging them to think about how they might plan for these expenses.
Veterinarians cannot provide financial advice, so it’s important you don’t recommend specific financial products or plans – including insurance products. It is up to each client to do their own research and decide which option best fits their needs.
> How to help clients plan for veterinary care flyer [NZVA, PDF, 2024]
> Why more veterinarians are becoming pet insurance advocates [Southern Cross, PDF, 2023]
> How to be a pet insurance advocate [VetScript article, PDF, 2024]
