Queensland Veterinary Specialists

03/12/2024

Please be advised that our phone line service will be limited tomorrow at 12:00 PM for scheduled maintenance. We expect this to take between 30-60 minutes. During this time, our phones will divert to a single device and so it may take a little longer than usual to get back to you.

If you need assistance, please reach out to us via email to [email protected] or [email protected].

If your pet needs urgent care, please come down and see us at your closest hospital location.

We appreciate your understanding and thank you for trusting us with your pets' care. 🐾

01/11/2024

Is your dog or cat a superstar? We think so too, and a few special dogs and cats can even become life-saving super heroes!

If you have:

🐶 A dog over 23kg
🐱 A cat over 5kg

That is:

✅️1-8 years old
✅️Up to date with vaccinations and flea/tick/heartworm/worming prevention
✅️Not currently receiving medications
✅️Never had a transfusion, tick antiserum or snake antivenom

They might make a great blood donor!

Just like humans donate blood, cats and dogs have specific blood types and can also donate to save lives.

QVS is very fortunate to have specialised equipment that allows us to prepare component therapy so that we can provide tailored transfusion medicine. This means one donation can save up to three lives!

To register your interest, please head to https://qvs.com.au/blood-donor-program/ and complete the registration form. Once registered, our transfusion medicine team will be in touch to answer any questions you may have about our blood donor program and its requirements.

23/10/2024

On Sunday, we hosted our bi-annual Queensland Veterinary Specialists and Pet Emergency conference at The Calile Hotel ✨

Hosting a seperate Vet and Nurse stream, we learned, shared and connected over our passion for animal care and the energy in the room was truly inspiring! From innovative practices to the latest in veterinary science, we are so excited to bring these insights to our community.

We are incredibly passionate about collaboration, continued education and making a difference in the lives of our furry friends and are already looking forward to our next conference! 🐱❤️🐶

17/10/2024

EDIT: We are happy to report that these issues have now been resolved. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we navigated this.

Unfortunately we are experiencing some technical troubles and our phone lines are currently down. Please send all non-urgent enquiries to our e-mail addresses listed below.
If your pet requires emergency treatment, please present to your closest location.

[email protected]

[email protected]

We are actively working on getting this resolved and appreciate your patience while doing so.

11/10/2024

🌟 Happy Vet Nurse Day! 🌟

Today we celebrate the incredible dedication and compassion of vet nurses everywhere. Your hard work and commitment to animal care make a world of difference in the lives of pets and their families. Thank you for your endless compassion, expertise, and love for our furry friends.

05/10/2024

The team at QVS regularly contribute to continuing education for veterinarians, technicians and nurses both nationally and internationally.
Two of our surgeons (Drs. Tim Pearson and Lucas Beierer) were recently faculty at a national AOVET orthopaedic principals course held in Brisbane. This course had 48 domestic and internal attendees who were immersed in fracture management principles over 3 days of learning.

In addition to practical course work, we also contribute to online learning for veterinarians worldwide. This article is an example of such efforts. The linked article highlights some of the complex assessments our veterinary orthopaedic specialists will make with pets that have a dislocating knee cap (patella luxation).

Patella luxation is a common condition in dogs, but when should vets opt for surgical correction and, in more complex cases, when should vets perform a Distal Femoral Osteotomy (DFO) to correct the problem?

In the AO VET Guest Blog, Lucas Beierer and Mark Glyde review common femoral and tibial conformation angles and give examples of how to use clinical and imaging data to make decisions in managing patella luxations, particularly in more complex cases when the frontal plane offset is too great.

🔗https://brnw.ch/21wNl0x

03/10/2024

🐾✨ At Queensland Veterinary Specialists and Pet Emergency, we believe that every visit should be a positive experience for your feline friends! 🌟 Our team is specially trained in cat-friendly handling techniques to ensure your kitty feels safe and comfortable during their visit. From our dedicated cat-only waiting room to calm examinations, we prioritize your cat’s well-being every step of the way.

If your cat is in need of specialist or emergency veterinary care, we’re here to help! 🐈

23/09/2024

Introducing 6 month old, gorgeous Border Collie, Ziggy! 🐾 🐶

Ziggy presented to the North Lakes Surgery team after a proximal physeal fracture of the right tibia healed inappropriately, causing his growth plates to become displaced, resulting in a significantly steep angle of his tibial plateau.

For context, most dogs’ tibial plateau sits at 26 degrees – Ziggy's fracture resulted in an excessive angle of 42 degrees! The steeper the slope, the higher the risk of developing Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease, meaning this needed to be promptly corrected to avoid a cruciate rupture in the future.

Ziggy underwent a ‘Centre of Rotation of Angulation Based Levelling Osteotomy’ (or CBLO for short) which allowed our surgeons to reduce the angle from 42 degrees to around 15 degrees. This will significantly reduce the risk of rupturing a cruciate in future.

Thanks to our brilliant surgeons and Ziggy’s dedicated parents, he is recovering well from surgery at home.

13/09/2024

Yesterday was R U OK? Day, and in the veterinary industry, it’s a crucial time to check in on our amazing team members who work tirelessly to care for our furry friends. 🐾💚

Our vets, nurses, client services and support staff face unique challenges every day—from dealing with the emotional weight of animal care to managing busy schedules and high-stress situations. It’s so important to make sure we're all supporting each other and taking care of our mental well-being.

So, whether you’re a veterinary professional or someone who cares about them, take a moment to ask, “R U OK?” and remember, it’s okay to not be okay, and reaching out for help is a sign of strength.

04/09/2024

Is your pet up to date on tick prevention?

With tick season in full force, we are shining a light on two very special patients who recently spent a night with our Pet Emergency team.

Arlo & Stormy were both diagnosed with tick paralysis and required tick antiserum and supportive care. After approximately 24 hours of hospitalisation, they met the criteria for a safe discharge home and off they went!

Ticks are not always easily visible and can hide underneath collars, in between toes or even in the mouth/gums. Some signs and symptoms of tick paralysis can include a wobbly gait or weakness in the hind legs, laboured breathing and vomiting and if left untreated, is often fatal.

We’re here to help keep your four-legged companions safe with our Pet Emergency team available 24 hours a day. If you are concerned that your pet is experiencing tick paralysis, call us on either 07 3359 0777 or 07 3384 2222

27/08/2024

Hi my name is Max! 🐶

Max is a 16-year-old Jack Russell who recently saw the QVS Internal Medicine department. Max’s parents became concerned after he had multiple episodes of weakness and lethargy, leading them to make an appointment with our friends at Northgate Vet. Here it was discovered that Max’s symptoms were due to low glucose levels. Max’s family was committed to getting to the bottom of Max’s illness and so a referral was sent to the Internal Medicine Team and only a few days later, Max was in the care of Dr Olivia at our Stafford hospital.

After a clinical work up including imaging and scans, a 6.5cm mass in Max’s small intestine was identified. By this point, Max had our nursing team wrapped around his little paw!

Max required surgical removal of the mass which was done that very day by Dr Lucas and after sending it off for testing, we discovered that it was a low-grade cancer known as Leiomyosarcoma (say that 10 times fast!). This type of cancer has a very high success rate after surgical removal.

Our wonderful nursing team were with Max every step of the way and he is now back to his usual mischievous self! Max will come in to QVS every 6 months to ensure he is in good health and enjoying his retirement. Max is proud to prove that age isn't a disease and with committed owners and a dedicated medical team, our older pets can recover from otherwise life-threatening illness ❤️

30/07/2024

The Internal Medicine team at Stafford recently celebrated Leia’s last day of chemotherapy for renal lymphoma 🎉

Leia was first diagnosed with renal lymphoma in February 2024, and has been a purrfect patient ever since. Her owners brought her to our Pet Emergency department after she was unable to keep food down and after initial examination and a specialist ultrasound, Dr Alex was led to investigate the presence of lymphoma.

Within days, the diagnosis was confirmed and Leia started a course of chemotherapy. The nursing team quickly grew attached to her sweet personality and fighting spirit.

Leia is now in complete remission and we are wishing for a long and happy remission for Leia and her family 😻

22/07/2024

Meet Sabo! Sabo recently had surgery at our North Lakes hospital with Dr Alecia Evans for a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). Sabo’s QVS journey began after being referred to our Internal Medicine team by his primary care vet due to progression of his illness despite medical management. A biliary mucocoele, which is an abnormal accumulation of mucoid bile, was identified on abdominal ultrasound.

Small breed dogs, like Sabo, are at risk of developing biliary mucocoeles, which blocks their biliary tract and can ultimately result in rupture of the gallbladder. In advanced cases, dogs with biliary mucocoeles require emergency surgery to remove their gallbladder. There is a large body of evidence to support removing the gallbladder earlier in the disease process is most effective, with mortality rates up to 23% for emergency cholecystectomies (high risk of rupture and secondary complications) versus 6% for elective cholecystectomies. Sabo’s biliary mucocoele was noted on abdominal ultrasound for a routine check up, and after discussion with Dr Alecia from our surgery team and Dr Katie from our Internal Medicine team, his owner decided on an elective cholecystectomy. Sabo was up and about within hours of his surgery, eating happily, and went home without any complications the following morning.

10/05/2024

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but Cassius cannot say the same for dogs 🐶💎

Cassius presented to our emergency department after ingesting his owners diamond ring. His owner had spent a few days keeping a close eye on his toileting habits, but they were unable to strike gold which prompted a visit to our team.

After performing radiographs of the abdomen, it was clear that there was a metallic ring-shaped foreign body in the stomach. Dr Tess successfully performed a gastroscope to remove the ring via the mouth. A gastroscope is a non-invasive option for gastric foreign body removal and involves a endoscope (camera) to be guided down the oral cavity, into the stomach and small forceps used to grasp the object and remove it through the mouth.

We are pleased to say that Cassius recovered smoothly and was discharged home later that day ⭐

26/04/2024

This week we are celebrating the heart and soul of our hospitals, our amazing client care team ⭐

Thank you for your dedication, your kindness, and your unwavering commitment to the well-being of our furry friends and their families.

Your hard work and empathy truly make a difference every single day. You are the unsung heroes of our practice, and we are grateful for all that you do.

Here’s to you, the smiling faces that our clients first see and the last reassuring voice that they hear. Thank you all for your hard work and happy veterinary receptionist week to you and all of the amazing veterinary receptionists out there 🐶

25/04/2024

☎️ QVS STAFFORD NETWORK INTERRUPTIONS 💻

Due to some updates occurring at our Stafford hospital, we will be experiencing a brief network outage that will affect both our emails and phone lines.

This will occur at 12pm today 26/04/2024 and is anticipated to last between 15-30 mins.

We are still open to see you and your pets so, if you are experiencing an animal emergency, please head on down to your nearest hospital. We will respond to any emails or queries once our network is live again.

Please note that this is only affecting our Stafford hospital and North Lakes will still be available via phone or email should you have an urgent query at this time.

Thank you for your support and understanding 🐱🐶

22/04/2024

Meet Major!

Major is a beautiful three-year-old Labrador who presented to our Stafford hospital after his owner found him struggling to walk. Major’s signs quickly progressed, and he was soon unable to move his legs, lift his head, blink or swallow.

Major underwent a series of extensive neurological tests and was ultimately diagnosed with a condition called polyradiculoneuritis, an autoimmune disorder characterised by inflammation and damage to the nerve roots, resulting in weakness, paralysis and other neurological symptoms. In some cases, polyradiculoneuritis can be life-threatening if it affects the nerves which control breathing.

There is no specific medical or surgical treatment for polyradiculoneuritis, so Major’s recovery relied on around the clock intensive nursing care and monitoring in our ICU. Major’s dedicated owners visited him daily in hospital and as time passed, we started to see signs of improvement and a stronger tail wag each day.

Thanks to the commitment of his care team and owners, Major is now able to walk and eat with no concerns and was recently able to be discharged home into the care of his owners. Major’s owners are thrilled to have their boy back home with them doing so well after his long hospital stay 🐶⭐