Invercargill pet owners can get a free check-up for their animals this month, courtesy of the Southern Institute of Technology's veterinary nursing students.

SIT's annual Free Pet Health Clinic began on 28 October and has four sessions left: Wednesday 4 November, Friday 6 November, Wednesday 11 November and Friday 13 November. Each day runs from 9am to noon and from 1pm to 3pm.

The clinic is staffed by students working towards the New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing, giving them supervised practice with real patients while owners get a no-cost look at how their pets are faring.

Each appointment is a 15-minute consultation covering general health, teeth, nutrition, body condition and parasite management. A senior pet wellness check is also offered for older animals.

Appointments are held in SIT's E Block, in the Zoo Room (E1:07) on the north side of Tay Street. Reservations are essential and are made through an online booking page linked from the event listing on the SIT website. The institute warns that parking near the building is limited. The SIT event listing also shows the clinic under two other date ranges running to 15 and 20 November, so owners who cannot make the dates above may find further slots when they open the booking page.

The event listing does not specify which species are welcome, referring only to "furry friends", so owners of anything more exotic than a cat or dog may want to check before booking.

The clinic is one of several ways SIT's programmes spill into the wider community over the coming weeks. The institute's School of Music holds its annual student showcase at Centrestage on Don Street on Wednesday 11 November, with free entry, and its Saturday bus trips for international students resume on 7 November.

SIT's childcare centre, at the Eye Street and Ness Street corner, has also recently opened an expanded outdoor play area, about 60 square metres larger than before, with a rubberised safety surface, a bike lane around the edge, a bark sensory path, child-height windows in the fence and all-weather curtains so the space can be used on wet days. Centre manager Nikki Ross said the children "absolutely love it".

Pet owners wanting a clinic slot can find the booking link at sit.ac.nz under Events, or call SIT on 0800 403 337.