FURRY friends waiting to find their forever homes will now receive vet treatments onsite at Redlands Animal Shelter.
The shelter has established an internal veterinary service at its Thornlands-based facility in a bid to further streamline its animal adoption program.
Mayor Karen Williams said because the vet service would not be available to the general public, it wouldn't compete with local vets.
"Its purpose will be to support the shelter's internal services," she said.
Animals have been rehomed through the shelter since May 2015, with 320 dogs and puppies and 613 cats and kittens finding their forever homes since the program started.
"The facilities and services based at Redlands Animal Shelter continue to evolve to support this very important community service," Cr Williams said.
"Of course shelter officers do all they can to reunite pets that come into the shelter with their owners.
"But where that is not possible, council has a duty of care to ensure animals have a reasonable chance at finding another home and a good quality of life while at the shelter.
"Animals at the shelter will benefit from the new one-day-per-week onsite vet service as they won't need to be transported for the routine checks, vaccinations and desexing needed to prepare them for adoption.
"It will be less stressful for the animals and less time consuming for staff, making the process more efficient.
A purpose-designed building was added to the shelter site in August 2016 to meet the needs of the adoption program.
It includes extra rooms for behavior assessments, an internal cat room and a retail area.
In 2017 council added a large external cat enclosure to the shelter, allowing cats to free-range in a contained environment.
Cr Williams said dog enclosures were currently getting an upgrade, with raised sleeping platforms and more vegetation added.
"This will be a more stimulating and pleasant home for our dogs until they find their forever homes," she said.
Redlands Animal Shelter is located at 264 South Street, Thornlands.
New shelter residents can be viewed at the shelter during opening hours or on the Redlands Animal Shelter Facebook page.
