Used RATs could find a second life in vet clinics and animal shelters

Vet clinics around Griffith are accepting the UV lights that come with many RATs used to illuminate the results, provided they're clean and come from negative tests.

Emily Toshack at Kooringal Veterinary Hospital explained the thriftiness behind using the rapid antigen tests.

"We are accepting donations of RAT test UV lights, as long as they're thoroughly cleaned and negative," she explained.

"We're very pro-anything that saves on waste. We reuse a lot in our clinic, we get donations from towels. We can use things like zip ties and paperclips as splints for small animals. We're pretty creative in what we use."

The UV lights are used to help find small but potentially harmful irritants, as well as check for ringworm.

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"We find UV lights are really useful for certain procedures. It can be used in testing for ringworm, they're also really useful for checking in the ulcers in the eye. Often with grass seeds, if animals get a seed in the eye, it can irritate," Miss Toshack explained.

"It's good for finding hidden illnesses and masses. If we do dental cleaning, it can be used to help us get plaque and things out of the teeth."

"It helps us demonstrate to the owner as well. Things a vet might spot could be harder for the untrained eye to spot so we use the lights to help demonstrate."

UV lights can range in cost from $10 to $100. Miss Toshack said that anyone keen to put them to a good use is best to call or email a nearby clinic, and make sure to wipe it down with sanitiser before handing it over.

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