Gutter-Vac strongly believes in giving back to the local community.
We take pride in helping local communities, whether it be by sponsoring a local sport teams, donating a gift voucher to a fund raising event or participating in our National RSPCA Pro Bono program.
In 2009 Gutter-Vac launched its national RSPCA Pro Bono program. In a national initiative with RSPCA Australia, Gutter-Vac operators provide RSPCA shelters across Australia with their services to help maintain their shelters, reduce mosquito breeding grounds and the spread of heartworm.
The dog heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is an increasing major veterinary health problem for dogs. Heartworms are parasites that live in the heart and main blood vessels of the lungs of cats and dogs. They are spread between infected animals by mosquitoes. The infection is now found throughout all of Australia. Dogs can be severely affected, with major vessels becoming blocked with chronic infections; death usually results in such cases from heart failure. Prevention is the best solution for the heartworm disease as treatment of the disease can be dangerous and expensive and it may not be able to reverse the damage already caused by the heartworm. Mosquito control in residential areas where dogs and cats live can break the transmission cycle of heartworm disease.
The RSPCA animal shelters are usually in rural/suburban areas and are covered with trees which lead to blocked gutters which are breeding grounds for heartworm carrying mosquitoes. Blocked gutters cause a build up of rotting sludge which is an ideal food source for heartworm carrying mosquitoes and a perfect place for them to lay their eggs. We hope that by ensuring the RSPCA has regular professional gutter cleans we can help to reduce this epidemic affecting our family pets.
In this community initiative each Gutter-Vac franchisee will be responsible for cleaning an RSPCA shelter in their territory each year for free. The Gutter-Vac wet and dry vacuum technology can remove that sludge from the gutters quickly & easily.