Oscar is a lovely Cavoodle that previously saw us back in February 2023. He was referred to BVSC by Albion Vet Surgery for a left cranial cruciate ligament rupture. He underwent a TPLO procedure to stabilise his knee and since then, he has bounced back and is back to his usual mischief! Thanks to his family for this wonderful video. We are so happy you are doing so well Oscar!
This week was Veterinary Receptionist Week.
We would like to say a huge thank you to our wonderful BVSC front of house team who are the most amazing team.
We can't thank them enough for always being so caring, kind and compassionate to all our clients and patients. We would like to also acknowledge the important role they play in supporting our whole team. We just couldn't do without them. Thank you ❤Here's a little surprise we provided for them today.
This is sweet Max who recovered very well following a ventral slot surgery for a protruding spinal disc lesion.
His primary care veterinarians Ferny Grove Veterinary Clinic referred him to BVSC for neck pain and a right head tilt.
Max’s case was tricky and required collaboration with our medicine and surgery team led by Dr Mio Ayukai and Dr Craig Thomson. A CT was performed and resulted in a diagnosis of an intervertebral disc lesion that was located at the disc space of C2-C3.
Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) or degeneration, leads to extrusion or protrusion (herniation) of an intervertebral disc into the vertebral canal. Surgery specialist, Dr Craig performed the surgery to decompress a HUGE disc lesion compressing Max’s spinal cord. Max stayed with us at the hospital for 14 days and was nursed daily by our wonderful nursing team that gave him so much love and care, until he was able to walk again. What a super star!
Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre is celebrating 20 years since it first opened its doors in 2004! It is a state-of-the-art purpose built specialist hospital and has stood the test of time.
We would like to thank our veterinary colleagues who have supported us over the years and also acknowledge our hard working and compassionate team of veterinarians, nurses and all our support staff who help shape our BVSC vision. We are very proud to deliver our signature ‘speciality care with compassion’ to all of our precious patients.
We also thank everyone who has supported BVSC over the years and we will continue to grow and deliver the best possible care. Here is a video that we are super excited to share with you.
At BVSC we were so pleased to receive a Christmas update on beautiful Luna who underwent surgery with us in May 2023.
Luna presented to Dr Kat as a referral from Eatons Hill Veterinary Surgery with complete paralysis of her hindlimbs. A CT scan was performed and showed large intra-dural disc extrusion between her 12th and 13th thoracic vertebrae. She underwent surgical decompression and had slow but steady improvement over the next few months.
At her last revisit, Luna was walking without assistance and we thank her owners for sending us these updates of their lovely Luna.
We are very excited to share with you one of our new BVSC videos. At BVSC we really do believe in delivering the best care for pets. The arrival of the Varian TrueBeam Linear accelerator, the first for use in pets in Australia, enables us to treat a much wider range of cancer types.
We’re really proud of our hardworking, compassionate team at BVSC who dedicate their life to helping animals, with all kinds of illnesses.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this video - please enjoy.
Someone is happy! Well, when you have successfully completed your radiation therapy for a cancer that the doctors could not treat with radiation before and now can, because of the new TrueBeam linear accelerator, you would be happy too!
This is Chino, the cutest 9 year old Scottish terrier, feeling great on his last day of treatment. Chino did zoomies around the TrueBeam with all of his bunker buddies after his treatment for bladder cancer. (Best with the sound on :)) To top if off, NurseKim gave him a great big cuddle. Way to go Chino!
Archie is a true superstar! This miniature Schnauzer is 15 years young and has been referred to BVSC by his vet Wilston Vet over the years. He has been under the care of our physiotherapist, Sandy Sharpe, for management of his T3-L3 myelopathy/suspected IVDD since 2020. To complicate this, he often has bouts of Geriatric Vestibular Disease and regular physiotherapy helps him get past his dizzy periods.
Archie remains super active and attends doggy day care regularly. So he can keep up with the other dogs at the beach (and not worsen his neurological condition), he has been fitted with some wheels. Here is Archie on Day 1 and 2 of trying his wheels at BVSC + The Specialist Clinic and then, Day 4 at the beach. It was amazing to see how quickly he adapted! Go Archie!
When Haakon, a beautiful 4 and a half year old great Dane, went to Third Avenue Veterinary Surgery because he had a sore shoulder, his vet’s concerns that he had a bone cancer were confirmed when she took an X-ray.
He was referred to BVCS where Dr Joy, Dr Rod and Dr Kate performed a PET-CT showing no cancer spread. He then became the first patient treated with our new Linear Accelerator that we have named Amadei (see video). Amadei is a Varian TrueBeam and can deliver Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) to accurately kill the bone cancer in Haakon’s shoulder with the aim to avoid the need for amputation, his only treatment choice in times gone by.
He successfully completed his three daily SRT fractions a week ago. He has more treatment with chemotherapy to come but he is such a brave boy and we do love helping him. With this new machine, the BVSC team will be able to treat many more pet animals with cancer, with far less side effects and often with fewer radiation episodes.
We all wish you well, gorgeous Haakon.
BVSC TrueBeam for Pets
We’re so very excited to share our latest news with you!
It’s here, BVSC’s very own onsite Varian TrueBeam® Linear Accelerator - the first of its’ kind in Australia dedicated to treating pets with cancer.
After more than 16 years of uninterrupted radiation service, this amazing technology will enable us to provide many more cancer treatments for our beloved pets.
Importantly, we can offer the very latest ground-breaking SBRT & SRT technology, which means fewer side effects and reduced treatment times for our patients.
It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive cancer care at BVSC. This is truly a game charger and we’re so proud to share this with you.
Meet little Bronson, a lovely 4 month old miniature Poodle that presented to the BVECCS Emergency Vet after unfortunately having suffered some dog attack injuries. Upon presentation, he was unable to walk and was very weak in all 4 limbs. There were concerns he had sustained a spinal cord injury.
Bronson was assessed by BVSC's Dr Harvey Saunders on a Sunday afternoon and underwent a CT scan. This showed that he had sustained evidence of bilateral shoulder blade fractures, but thankfully no fractures of the spine were identified. He then underwent an MRI to further evaluate his spinal cord injury and he was diagnosed with a 'low volume high velocity disc extrusion' between the third and fourth vertebrae of his neck. This is a condition where a small volume of the material contained within the shock-absorbing discs, between the bones of the spine, herniates up into the spinal cord causing bruising and inflammation of the nerves. The only treatment for this condition is conservative nursing care, intensive rehabilitation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Bronson underwent a total of 3 weeks worth of daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy and has shown a remarkable improvement.
He is able to run around now and play with his littermates and is doing very well following his injury. We are so proud of you Bronson!
Jonty is an adorable 12 year old Ragdoll cat who came to us on referral from Morningside Veterinary Clinic and VSS Underwood with a brain tumour called a pituitary macroadenoma in August 2021. This tumour was causing blindness and ataxia which caused poor Jonty to bump into things at home and walk in circles. At BVSC, we were able to perform 18 non-invasive, daily, radiation therapy treatments.
It is now ten months since Jonty completed his treatment. Recently we heard from Jonty’s Mum who said he is doing fantastically well. His eyesight is back to normal and he is enjoying time by the beach and playing with his favourite toys at home. Jonty’s Mum is so pleased with the outcome, and is grateful for the treatment and care we gave Jonty. We are very happy to hear that Jonty can once again live his best life!
Thank you to Jonty’s Mum for letting us share these photos and video. The photo of Jonty getting cuddles from Dr Kate (Hospital Veterinarian) was taken during his stay at BVSC. Stay well beautiful boy!
Biscuit is a gorgeous 11 year old Moodle who presented to Petmania Vet Surgery after bruising was noticed on his abdomen. Blood tests showed that he had an extremely low platelet count. Platelets are pieces of cells within the blood required for normal blood clotting. When platelets are reduced in the body, there is an increased risk of spontaneous bleeding which can be life threatening.
Biscuit was seen by BVECCS Emergency team and then by BVSC’s Dr Mio Ayukai from the Internal Medicine Team for further investigations. Comprehensive diagnostic testing was performed and Biscuit was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition called “immune-mediated thrombocytopenia”. This is a condition when the immune system malfunctions and begins to destroy the normal platelets. Biscuit was treated with several medications to dull down the immune response and encourage the body to produce more platelets. He remained in a critical condition and required three blood transfusions during his time in hospital.
Thankfully, Biscuit began to respond to medications and spent a week in hospital, receiving special care from everyone day and night. This video shows Biscuit at his review appointment, much improved and enjoying some very special cuddles with nurse Bridgette!
This is Gracie, an 8 year Labrador referred from Wellington Point Vets by the Bay. BVSC treated Gracie in 2020 with radiation therapy for a soft tissue sarcoma on her right hind limb. The treatment was successful, but unfortunately Gracie developed an unrelated second soft tissue sarcoma on her left jaw in November. Following surgery with her referring vet, Gracie then underwent 18 definitive fraction RT with BVSC to complete the removal of her tumour. Our Oncology team report that her RT treatment has gone very well.
This little lady is amazing! Gracie survived a car accident many years ago, resulting in an amputation of her leg. However, nothing deters her! We loved seeing her enter the hospital each day, wagging her tail, leash in mouth and popping herself straight up on to the weight scales, then to bed and then straight down to RT when it was her turn. She really did know her way around the hospital, greeting all the nurses on her way. Gracie, it was a real treat to have the opportunity to meet you.
Walter after Spinal Surgery at BVSC
This is Walter who was referred from Ashgrove Avenue Vet Clinic for progressive lameness and neurological abnormalities in all his four legs. His weakness had slowly progressed until he was unable to walk a kilometre (he used to run 7kms). He presented to BVSC only able to walk with support.
After a neurological exam it was determined that he had a problem with the spine in his neck. His spine was imaged with a high field MRI where a disc protrusion was found in between C6 and C7. At first he responded well to medication but soon deteriorated once the medication was weaned down.
Walter needed surgery so Dr Marvin and his team performed
a hemilaminectomy. This involved gaining access to the spinal canal with careful burring of the bone around it, so the bulging disc could be delicately removed without damaging the spinal cord. This relieved the spinal cord compression and Walter recovered very well from his surgery. This video shows Walter before the surgery and his recovery 6 weeks later. What a champion!
Charlie, the wonder dog at BVSC
Meet Charlie who was referred to BVSC back in February from Samford Valley Veterinary Hospital after she developed signs of weakness and a change in her voice. Although initially her symptoms were mild, after about a week, there had been progression to complete paralysis of all four of her limbs. Under the care of Dr Hannah Lobegeier and the internal medicine team, Charlie underwent extensive diagnostic testing at BVSC to rule out meningitis, spinal disease, and cancer, and a final diagnosis of Acute Polyradiculoneuritis (APRN) was made.
APRN is a poorly understood condition which affects the peripheral nerves, causing paralysis. Sometimes this becomes life threatening as it can affect the muscles and nerves which control swallowing and breathing. In many cases there is an association with feeding raw chicken, and Campylobacter infection is thought to play a role. Most dogs recover without any specific treatment over a period of days to several weeks.
Charlie’s case was extremely severe and it took 11 weeks before she was able to walk again. Her owners were extremely dedicated and Charlie also had ongoing physiotherapy at BVSC to manage her muscle wasting and help her learn to walk again. Charlie has come for nursing care at BVSC every single day for the past 3 months, and she has formed an incredible bond with our amazing nursing team. We will all be sad when Charlie no longer has to come in every day because she never fails to make us laugh with her mischief, although we couldn’t be happier that she has made a full recovery. We love you, Charlie!!
Rosie is a beautiful 16 year old cat who recently became wobbly, disorientated and began circling. Her veterinary team at Tweed Coast Vet Cabarita sent her to VSS in Carrara where a large brain tumour was identified on a CT scan (see the arrowed image from the scan). She was sent to BVSC where Dr Rod, Surgery Oncology Specialist and his team removed a very large meningioma. Rosie has not looked back and here she is at about two weeks after surgery showing her skills on the BVSC cat climbing gym, in one of our cat only consultation rooms! You are a rock star Rosie.
This is what truly brings a smile to our faces at BVSC. Dr Rod Straw, Small Animal Surgery (Oncology) Specialist is having a zoom consultation with Bonnie’s family. We are all social distancing but BVSC have implemented Telemedicine Consultations so our Pet Owners can see their furbaby during the consult and have other members of their family join in also. It may be a trying time for all of us, but it is so rewarding to us that we can still care for our patients as well as caring for our Pet Owners by visual consults.
Gorgeous little 10 year old Cavoodle, Bonnie presented to Mcdowall Veterinary Practice for a left forelimb mass earlier this month. After consultation with QVS, the Pet Owners were then referred to BVSC for a marginal resection with adjuvant fractionated external beam radiation therapy.
Bonnie happily went into hospital with Dr Sigrid, Small Animal Surgery Resident, whilst receiving lots of cuddles.
Tallulah at BVSC + The Animal Hospital
This video shows Tallulah's progress. She's doing just great after spinal surgery with Dr Nima at BVSC + The Animal Hospital.
4 year Old Luci at BVSC
This is Luci, who was referred to Dr Hannah Kwong from Samford Valley Veterinary Hospital for evaluation of a few week history of episodes of extreme lethargy, inappetence and open-mouth breathing and panting. In this video you can see the signs that Luci presented with, which also included muscle tremors and loss of balance. The final diagnosis was cryptococcal meningitis. Luci has now recovered fully and is fungus free!
