Clinic Tour

We have a large spacious bitumised carpark at the front of the clinic and also dedicated disabled parking and access ramp. There is a large lawned area next to our garden where you can walk and toilet your pet. Please use the Doggie poop bags and bin provided. Below the hedge is the Barker Behaviour and Training all weather training facility, grassed private training park and carpark.

The first thing you notice when you come into our reception is how large, light and airy it is. We generally have two friendly receptionists at the reception desk to help you promptly. All our booking and payment systems and client records are fully computerised. You will be asked to weigh your pet on the animal scales located to the left of the desk, then directed to one of our two roomy waiting areas.There are a range of healthy Australia natural cat and dog treats available to buy including low fat if you want reward your pet for being a good patient.

We have one large waiting area for dogs and the another separate one for cats and small pets. This way your visit is a little bit less stressful for your cats and small animals. If you prefer you can wait outside where we have a bench on the veranda. This is good if you have a particularly noisy, reactive or nervous dog, just let our receptionist know so she can call you when it is your turn to see the Vet.

Children are particularly fond of our large fish tank with our colourful breeding guppies. See if you can spot the two algae eating bristlenose catfish hiding!

We also have a select range of Healthy, Complete and Balanced Fresh Food options including Big Dog Frozen Barf and Frontier Pets Freeze Dried Raw, and a large range of Rogz collars, control harnesses, leashes and kong toys. We have a small selection of grooming equipment such as brushes, combs, nail clippers, shampoos and dental care items.   We have a large screen for informational DVD’s.

We have four large fully equipped examination rooms.

These have an examination table that can be lifted against the wall to allow large dogs to be examined with ease on the floor.

Our bereavement room is designed to help reduce the the stress when that ‘end of life’ time has come. As this is a dedicated room you are able to stay with your pet as long as is necessary, as you say goodbye.
 

We have a dedicated radiology room. This room has our X-ray and ultrasound machines, radiology table and Digtial X-Ray Processor. Our Digital processor processes X-Rays in minutes onto a computer with large viewing screen enabling us to view and manipulate them allowing for quicker and more accurate diagnosis. These images can then easily be sent to Veterinary Specialitsts or for Hip Scoring as required also if requested you can take home a copy. Both our X-ray and Ultrasound machines are  portable so we can use them anywhere in the clinic if needed.  All our consulting, treatment and theatre rooms have x-ray viewers. Our ultrasound pictures and videos can be viewed on the ultrasound machine and also on our computers. They can even be sent to our specialist radiologist for a report if required.

We have invested significantly in in-house blood testing technology. We are able to offer immediate pre-anaesthetic testing including Haematology and Biochemisrty with our VetScan machines. Unwell patients can have their comphrensive blood profiles available within minutes enabling early diagnosis and prompt commencent of appropriate treatment. We have a dedicated machine to test for blood clotting which is very important in the diagnosis of Snake bite and Rat Bait poisoning. As well as this we have an iStat machine which we use to use critical care patients.

Our microscopes are in constant use. Examination of stained slides of ear swabs identify bacteria and yeasts which is an important and essential tool in the treatment of ear infections. Fine Needle Aspirants (FNA) of suspicious masses are performed regularly. We also do skin scraping and faecal worm examinations

We offer in house testing for Pancreatitis, Heartworm, FIV (Feline Aids)  and FELV (Feline Leukemia), Urine Analysis as well as glucose monitoring for diabetes.

We still utilise the expertise of an outside laboratory for more extensive work ups as needed.

With our purpose built new hospital we have two dedicated sterile operating theatres for all our sterile surgeries. Our up to date Anaesthetic machines are equipped with Respiratory, Pulse, Oxygen and Blood pressure monitors just as you would see in any human operating theatre. We also have a ventilator for use if needed.
We have trained Veterinary anaesthetist nurses to monitor your pet during all surgeries and recovery afterwards in the recovery and intensive care area. In this theatre we perform operations such as desexing, caesareans, tumour removal, lumpectomies, orthopedic, soft tissue, intestinal and organ surgery.

Our high standards of care means it is mandatory for all surgical patients to have intravenous fluid therapy using an infusion pump and pain relief using a multidrug protocol. Pain relief is an important part of post operation recovery.

This is where theatre staff scrub before surgery. Also our surgical instruments are cleaned, prepared, packed and sterilised and stored here until required. The many drawers are full of the large number of sterilised instrument packs that are required for the wide variety of different surgical procedures we perform. The large Window to the theatre means non theatre staff can directly observe surgical procedures and what is happening in the theatre.

We have a separate large treatment room complete with it's own anaesthetic machine, oxygen and a full range of monitors, for all minor procedures such as grass seed removal from ears, wound repair, abscess draining etc. Patients in hospital and those requiring fluid therapy, oxygen therapy ( we have a oxygen intensive unit for small patients)  are examined and treated in this area. We also have a “wet” treatment table connected with water and flushing equipment for messy things such as enemas.

Here is our brand new dental unit with all the attachments you will be familiar with from your own dentist. We use the ultrasonic scaler to remove plaque including deep subginvial cleaning reducing gum disease and saving teeth..

We stock a large extensive array of medications to treat virtually all conditions that come in. All our medications are kept here under locked conditions. We also have our medication label printer here handy for dispensing.

Our specially designed stainless steel cages cater for all sizes. The ward is set up so no dog can see another dog thereby minimising stress and reactivity. We have a examination table so we can take blood or remove IV catherters or medicate with ease.This ward has its own air conditioning and heating to maintain optimal temperatures, independent air venting system and heating pads to aid recovery.  We use Vetbed blankets in all cages to aid comfort, it is a fabulous product that allows liquid to drain away keeping your pet warm and dry, it does not support bacterial growth, is hypo- allergenic, extremely durable and easily washed. We have a mini kitchen in this area to prepare dog food and wash dog bowls and clean cages etc.

We have a large Patient ward with four full height walk-in kennels for those larger patients we get or animals that are having a longer treatment stay than normal. Of course there is a kitchette for food prep and heating and cooling and independant air venting system included.

A lot of cats are stressed by dogs and noise so we have a separate quiet cat ward. It is separated from our dog ward by a corridor and sound insulation. Our cages are custom made stainless steel cages. In every cage we have a litter tray and use Cat Vetbed blankets to aid comfort. Vetbed is a high pile, soft backed material  that allows liquid to drain away, keeping your pet dry, it retains body warmth, it does not support bacterial growth, is hypo- allergenic, extremely durable and easily washed. We also have heating mats for those cats that need it and drip stands that fit onto the front of the cages. There is  a small kitchen in this room that allows us to prepare food and clean bowls etc. We also have a laboratory bench with centrifuge and slide preparing equipment.

Our large Vet’s office  is a quiet area away from the bustle and activity, where the Vets can do their paperwork (computer work), go through pathology reports and phone clients.This area well resourced with an extensive reference library and also the latest veterinary publications.

This is the hub between reception, vet office and staff room and allows Katie our Practise Manager to monitor everything happening in the clinic. This is also where our admin officer Leanne is based. It also acts as a control centre for our dedicated computer system. We were one of the first clinics to be computerised (back in the green screen days!) We have continued to update our system and programs to run the gold standard to enable us to access our records, forms and appointments quickly and securely.

Naturally the staff get a nice airy room to recharge with a coffee or chocolate (thank you's from clients yumm!) or take a breather and eat lunch. We also use this room for staff education sessions and always have the latest Veterinary and Veterinary Nurse journals here for their reading information. Staff can observe what is happening in the clinic via the monitor that is connected to the security cameras throughout the clinic. These can even be monitored remotely allowing us to increase our security.