Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane

Home
Australia
Seventeen Mile Rocks, QLD
Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane

24 hour emergency and specialist vet hospital in Sinnamon Park.

532 Seventeen Mile Rocks Road, Sinnamon Park (near the Salvos).
(57)

Call us anytime on (07) 3172 0593. 24 hour emergency service for all animal issues, with no appointment necessary. Specialist referral hospital for all surgical, medical or oncology issues. Caring, compassionate and experienced staff who will care for your pet like it's their own. Australia's only medical and surgical oncology team. Brand new state of the art premises with Queensland's only high field MRI. Convenient location and 24 hour around the clock care for your pet.

28/08/2024

Older doesn’t always mean wiser...

Low Tumm, a seasoned pup of 14 years, recently visited our internal medicine specialist, Dr Elizabeth, after suddenly losing his appetite, becoming lethargic and experiencing vomiting. Despite his recent history of intermittent gastrointestinal issues and pancreatitis, the last thing we expected was a foreign body obstruction in his small intestine.

But, surprise! Low Tumm had managed to get something that resembled a piece of cloth (we aren't exactly sure) lodged in his intestines, which required surgical removal.

An oesophageal feeding tube was placed to assist with feeding at home, but our resilient Low Tumm didn’t need it for long! He recovered exceptionally well and, at his recent recheck, we were thrilled to remove his feeding tube as he continued to improve.

While foreign body obstructions are more common in younger to middle-aged animals, this case reminds us that older pets aren’t immune. Always keep a watchful eye on your pets, no matter their age!

25/08/2024

🐶 Just a few of our gorgeous pups on .

Can we see yours?

24/08/2024

From a rough patch to a bright recovery!

Bailey was lethargic, disinterested in eating and vomiting. Following an abdominal ultrasound and endoscope of his stomach with our specialist medical internist, Dr Emily Cook, Bailey was diagnosed with a gastric (stomach) ulcer.

Just like with humans, during digestion, a dog's stomach secretes harsh gastric acids and enzymes which help break down food to extract nutrients. To protect against these corrosive stomach juices the stomach is lined with a mucosal barrier. If this barrier is damaged, the stomach lining will begin to erode, leading to the formation of an ulcer. These painful sores can be caused by a wide variety of reasons, including certain medications (such as anti-inflammatories), bacterial and viral infections, underlying health conditions such as liver and kidney disease, gastrointestinal disease (including inflammatory bowel disease) and certain cancers.

Signs to look out for include vomiting (most common and may have the appearance of coffee grounds), weight loss, dark/tarry stools (called melena), reduced appetite, drooling and lethargy, to name a few. The treatment of gastric ulcers depends on the severity, with some patients requiring surgery and intensive care, whilst others may be managed with supportive medications at home.

Bailey underwent two surgical procedures with our specialist surgeon, Dr Jarrod, to remove and repair the affected portion of his stomach. He had a feeding tube placed into his oesophagus to ensure he was receiving enough nutrition and to prevent any further weight loss.

After months of regular recheck appointments, Bailey had his feeding tube removed and has now gained back the weight he lost and more! We're delighted to see how Bailey has bounced back and has reportedly resumed his normal mischievous behaviour at home.

We wish Bailey and his family all the best for his ongoing recovery.

21/08/2024

To keep our brains growing ...Our surgery team members regular choose a Word of the Day, Capital of the Day and Quote of the Day to share with the team. Extra points are given for really obscure selections!

We discuss these at morning rounds, and then see who can work the word into casual conversation that day. As you can imagine, our highly perspicacious team members love showing off their shrewd and insightful language skills! 😆

19/08/2024

Indy had swelling underneath her left eye. A CT scan showed that she had a thin walled, fluid filled cyst within the retrobulbar space (behind her eyeball) which was consistent with a lacrimal cyst (dacryops).

A dacryops is a rare cystic dilation of the lacrimal ducts or gland. The cause is unknown, however developmental defects, foreign body injury, blunt trauma, or inflammation are thought to be possible causes. In Indy’s case, the dacryops consisted of aberrant lacrimal gland tissue (independent of the naso-lacrimal duct) which was leading to accumulation of lacrimal gland fluid and marked swelling below her left eye.

Our surgical specialist, Dr Lance, performed a cystorhinostomy (nasal marsupialisation), which involved draining the cyst, resecting the inner cyst wall and establishing a communication with Indy's nasal cavity for long-term drainage.

Indy recovered well from surgery and was back to her usual bouncy Golden Retriever self the next day!

17/08/2024

We first saw Bambi after medical management failed for her constant dribbling urine.

A CT scan showed an abnormal ureter on her left side, an extramural ectopic ureter. This is a congenital anomaly where a ureter, a tube that delivers urine from the kidney to the bladder, completely bypasses the bladder and enters further down the urinary system.

Because the urine flow from this ureter is not under normal regulation, incontinence occurs.

Bambi had surgery with our specialist surgeon, Dr Lance, to remove the ureter from its abnormal location and reimplant it into the part of the bladder it should enter at.

Bambi’s surgery was successful - she no longer has any urine leakage and doesn’t require medication or nappies.

Bambi is a happy patient and is very lucky to have such a devoted owner.

14/08/2024

***Check The Chip Day***

More than 2,500 pets were returned to their owners last year, and that's just the statistics from the RSPCA.

If you lose your pet, a microchip with up-to-date contact details greatly increases your chances of being reunited.

It's worthwhile checking the register to make sure all your details are correct:

🐱 Check www.petaddress.com.au to make sure your pet's chip is registered
🐶 If it isn’t registered go to www.homesafeid.com

Your pet should also have an external ID so anyone finding them can quickly get them home to you.

See https://www.rspcaqld.org.au/what-we-do/welfare-awareness/companion-animals/microchip-your-pet for more.

$Poor Montie came to see us after a significant fall.Radiographs showed that she had a Monteggia fracture. Monteggia frac...$

12/08/2024

Poor Montie came to see us after a significant fall.

Radiographs showed that she had a Monteggia fracture. Monteggia fractures involve fracture of the ulna bone with concurrent luxation of the radial head.

Montie underwent surgery to reconstruct her luxated elbow and stabilise her broken bone.

She has now recovered and is happily climbing up to her favourite spot by the window again.

10/08/2024

What a week! We had the pleasure of these gorgeous Dachie cuddles, with Arlo, Shuey, Gemma, Daisy, Tank and Ziggy all in hospital at the same time. 😍

07/08/2024

😽We sure love cats at ARH Brisbane. Here are a few of our beloved pets, to celebrate International Cat Day.

Can we see a photo of yours?

04/08/2024

Lying in the sun. Moving to the shade. Next stop the couch...we can see how has really taken off! 😉

Inspired by our imaging associate, Dr Amber's pooch, Duplo, we hope you find time today to work very hard like your dog!

03/08/2024

Poor little Muffin suffered from severe neck pain that persisted despite initial pain relief medication. As a result, Muffin was referred to our specialist neurologist, Dr Christine, for further evaluation.

An MRI showed a bony mass on Muffin’s 4th cervical vertebrae. This mass was compressing his spinal cord, causing excruciating pain.

Our specialist surgeon, Dr Lance, successfully removed Muffin’s mass by performing a dorsal laminectomy and facetectomy. This involved removing the roof and side of the affected vertebral body to extract the mass. Muffin’s mass was identified as an osteochondroma, a benign overgrowth of cartilage and bone.

Despite the complexity of Muffin's condition, his surgery was a success. Muffin recovered well and was able to gaze pain-free at the camera at his latest recheck.

31/07/2024

Poor Pablo was playing at home and unfortunately fell down the stairs.

He broke his left thigh bone and required a surgical fixation. Our specialist surgeon, Dr Lance, aligned Pablo's displaced femur and stabilised the fracture with four small pins.

After six weeks of rest, Pablo returned to ARH for his recheck. X-rays showed complete healing of the fracture and Pablo is now running around with full strength and mobility!

29/07/2024

It is with much excitement that we introduce Dr Katherine Steele, our newest specialist surgeon.

On graduating from vet school in 2008, Katherine knew she wanted to become a specialist surgeon. She committed wholeheartedly to her dream, completing internships, passing her membership exams and then in 2013 moving to Victoria to complete her surgical residency.

After gaining her specialist qualification, Katherine returned to Brisbane and has worked in private referral practice since. She has a strong interest in soft tissue surgery and all aspects of surgical oncology.

We are delighted to welcome Katherine, and her husband and two young children, into our ARH family. Her kind, compassionate nature and dedication to her patients makes her a natural fit and we look forward to bringing you some of her cases over the coming months.

23/07/2024

If only our pets could talk to us!

One of the most important jobs we have as owners is recognising when our pets are unwell.

Since they can't tell us when they are sore, understanding the sometimes subtle indications of pain is really important.

Common responses to pain can include:
🐶 Restlessness or anxious behaviour
🐱 Shaking
🐶 Decline in physical activity
🐱 Decrease in appetite
🐶 Reluctance to be touched or handled
🐱 Struggling to toilet
🐶 Excessive licking or pawing
🐱 Limping
🐶 Aggressive behaviour
🐱 Whimpering or crying

As an owner, you know your pet best. If you notice any change in your pet's behaviour, it's best to have them checked by your regular vet.

20/07/2024

Jake and his bad habit…

Jake came to ARH emergency after 12 hours of profuse vomiting. He wasn’t just vomiting up food or bile as most animals that present for vomiting do… Jake was vomiting up squeakers from inside stuffed toys! And not just one squeaker either – Jake vomited up SIX SQUEAKERS, and pooped out another before arriving at ARH.

After Jake had been treated with intravenous fluid therapy for dehydration, and an anti-nasuea injection for vomiting, he was transferred to our internal medicine specialist, Dr Gemma, and the team for further care.

An abdominal ultrasound showed at least one suspicious structure in Jake's stomach… perhaps Jake hadn’t vomited up all the squeakers he’d gotten into? To confirm her suspicion, Gemma performed an endoscopy… and surprise, surprise, another TWO squeakers were found!

It seems Jake had a very bad habit of swallowing toy squeakers!

A tiny pair of forceps was passed through Jake's endoscope into his stomach, and after some slipping and sliding of the sneaky suspects, both squeakers were successfully removed. Jake was able to go home to his family that same evening.

It’s safe to say, Jake’s days of 'playing' with squeaky toys are well and truly over!

17/07/2024

🍾 It's been a big, celebratory week at ARH Brisbane with five of our vets - Dr Farrah, Dr Imogen, Dr Max, Dr Rosemary and Dr Chantelle - passing their membership exams!

Congratulations to you all, studying while working full-time is a big undertaking.

Vets can choose to take these exams three years after graduating to demonstrate their knowledge in a specific field of veterinary studies.

We are also thrilled that our past interns Dr Sharon Lau, Dr Laura Gilbar, Dr William McLanachan and Dr Nevin Singh also passed their exams this year. Well done to all of you!

15/07/2024

Neo had a large tumour of his skull, known as a multilobular osteochondrosarcoma, or MLO. These uncommon tumours arise from the flat bones in dogs and can cause issues due to compression of adjacent structures, such as the brain.

In Neo’s case, the surgery was made more challenging due to the tumour’s large size and involvement of the back of the skull. Luckily, Dr Maurine, Dr Lance and Dr Casey were able to remove the skull mass successfully and Neo has not missed a beat! He was back to eating and walking the following day.

A few days later Neo returned to his family and is now back to his old self… just with a new fontanelle!

13/07/2024

IVDD, aka Intervertebral Disc Disease, occurs when one or more of a dog´s intervertebral discs undergo degenerative change.

Signs that your dog is suffering from IVDD include:

🐶 Behavioural changes, such as not wanting to jump or hiding
🐶 Intermittent or consistent pain
🐶 Arched back
🐶 Wobbliness, weakness or lameness in one or both of their back legs
🐶 Inability to walk
🐶 Inability to go to the toilet
🐶 For dogs who have IVDD in their neck, weakness or lameness in one or both of their front legs and a reluctance to move their neck.

Some dogs can have very mild signs of IVDD initially, so it´s good to be aware of small changes to your dog´s behaviour or mood, and have them checked out if you are concerned.

Time is of the essence in IVDD cases, and all too quickly a dog can go from mildly affected to paralysed. If you are worried, give your local vet or emergency hospital a call and they can let you know if your dog needs to be seen.

Before you see a vet, it’s important to keep your dog quiet and not allow them to jump or play. It’s best to keep them in a crate or pen and carry them outside to go to the toilet. They should be carried to the car and properly restrained when driving to see your vet.

11/07/2024

ET´s was a true medical emergency!

Our emergency team saw ET with vomiting, abdominal pain and jaundice. An ultrasound quickly confirmed a gall bladder mucocele.

A gallbladder mucocele occurs when the gallbladder has become enlarged due to the accumulation of an excessive amount of mucous. This can lead to rupture, infection and necrosis, which is a surgical emergency.

ET was rushed to surgery with Dr Lance, where he was diagnosed with bile peritonitis resulting from a tear in his common bile duct. Dr Lance removed the diseased gall bladder and repaired the tear in his bile duct.

ET spent nine days in the ICU recovering from his surgery, peritonitis, severe pancreatitis and enteritis. He was looked after by our fantastic nurses and Dr Sarah, Dr Sureiyan and Dr Jordan of our Critical Care and Internal Medicine teams. ET had an oesophageal feeding tube placed to assist in maintaining his nutrition during this time.

ET continues to make an excellent recovery at home now, and we see more of his personality each time he visits ARH.

09/07/2024

Who wore it best?

Two of our stylish patients came to their separate appointments with our internal medicine team wearing the same outfit!

Now that we’re heading into the cooler temperature months, we love seeing what outfits our patients come in wearing to keep them warm… and stylish of course!

03/07/2024

Next we have the pleasure of introducing our rotating interns for the year.

Adeline, Robyn, Jade, Thomas and Brian will spend time with each of our specialist areas this year, getting a broad introduction to veterinary specialist work.

It´s a great way to get an overview of a range of specialty areas, and we find many of our rotating interns go on to do a singular area internship the following year.

01/07/2024

Archie´s bouncing back after a tough run!

Archie came to see our internal medicine team with severe constipation. He had eaten some bones and the bony material had formed a rock like colonic impaction.

Despite several enemas, Archie’s colon remained firmly blocked so our surgery team surgically removed the impacted faeces.

Although surgery was successful and Archie recovered, a short time later he was again struggling to pass faeces and we found that he had developed a stricture, or narrowing, of his re**um, where the original faecal ball had caused damage to the wall of the re**um.

Archie underwent several endoscopic procedures, using a water filled specially designed balloon to dilate the stricture.

Just as his re**um was almost better, Archie developed a further complication. He was regurgitating food soon after eating. We used an endoscope to visualise his oesophagus and found that Archie had also developed an oesophageal stricture. We believe this developed as a rare complication of general anaesthesia. Just like his re**al stricture, Archie underwent balloon dilation procedures to break down the stricture.

We´ve seen Archie for many rechecks over the last few months and are happy to report that there has been sufficient dilation achieved of both of his strictures. Archie will be closely monitored for some time yet, but he has kept his spirits high throughout his journey!

Here is Archie with Dr Elizabeth and just some of the internal medicine team that assisted with Archie's care.

29/06/2024

🎉 We had a wonderful time celebrating our seven years of business recently, and were chuffed to see so many past team members join in to make the night extra special.

26/06/2024

Letting pet dogs 'run with the pack' could be key to maintaining good health across their lifespan – a huge new study reveals – with benefits five times as noticeable as those from other examined aspects of canine life.

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-identify-1-vital-thing-that-will-help-your-dog-age-well?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1oVCKrmMMH2dlokAZSY5xDhaDHqbHzejj_3VnEgjp5yaWqAptR5vGkglo_aem_AVUh-kTiqCylPqhP1uL46WtXYDquB1mup_nUgakbxTLWLsj1iXq0rxKXcFeRif6EoRAwzPv-BMCj90eUkuiZK_fj

24/06/2024

🤩 Ghordie, our star patient!

Most of our cats don’t tolerate physiotherapy in hospital, however, Ghordie is an exception.

He is recovering post a vascular injury to his spinal cord. Ghordie was initially paralysed in his back legs and is now progressing really well. He is able to walk with some unsteadiness.

Here, Ghordie is enjoying a range of motion exercises with one of our veterinary technology interns, Lana.

Keep up the great work Ghordie!

22/06/2024

🐱 Can a cat swallow a 120cm long ribbon?

It turns out, yes, as gorgeous 9 year old Oliver found!

His owner discovered him vomiting one morning with the piece of ribbon sticking out of his mouth. He quickly swallowed the piece again and was whisked off to his regular vet.

On referral to ARH, our emergency specialist, Dr Sarah, found that the ribbon had passed through to Oliver´s small intestine. Left untreated, this can result in perforation of the small intestine.

Our surgical registrar, Dr Libby, performed an explore of Oliver´s abdomen which showed bunching of the entire small bowel around the ribbon. The material was able to be retrieved through an incision in Oliver’s stomach.

Oliver has recovered really well from his surgery and is back to his beaùtiful, playful self!

20/06/2024

Do you take your pet to work?

Dr Jarrod has a new pup, beautiful Border Collie, Summer.

Not that he´s getting much of a chance for cuddles of late!

We´d love to hear if there are other professions out there that encourage animals in the workplace!

17/06/2024

Urinary incontinence is a relatively common condition seen in older desexed female dogs.

Aging, obesity and reduced sensitivity of the neurologic receptors present around the bladder sphincter are common contributors to this condition.

You may notice urine patches in your dog’s bed or floor, without seeing her actively try to urinate.

Urinary incontinence can also be a sign of more serious conditions so the veterinary visit may involve ruling out other problems. The good news is incontinence can, in most cases, be effectively managed with medication.

12/06/2024

Missing for 50 days, and reunited with his family!

Baileys owners searched for weeks for him. Where he was we don´t know, but one evening he was found by neighbours lying on the ground in the rain and his owners rushed him straight to our ARH emergency service.

We found Bailey was very underweight, dehydrated and had severe neurological signs. Our emergency, internal medicine and neurology teams assessed him and, as well as general malnutrition, it was suspected he was suffering from a deficiency of thiamine or vitamin B1.

Thiamine is needed for energy production in the brain and deficiency can cause lesions in the brain.

Recovering from severe malnutrition requires the careful reintroduction of calories and nutrients as the body cannot cope with too much, too suddenly.

Bailey spent several days in hospital on a strict feeding plan and thiamine supplementation before returning home.

It has been a slow process but Bailey is improving each week and our neurology and medicine teams are happy with his progress!

Address

532 Seventeen Mile Rocks Road Sinnamon Park
Seventeen Mile Rocks, QLD
4073

Telephone

+61731720593

Website

http://arhvets.com.au/brisbane

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane:

Videos

🎂 It´s our 7th birthday today! 🎉 Thank you to all of our referring vets, clients, friends and family for making the last seven years so enjoyable.

🎄Our partners enjoyed filming this special Christmas message for you, our amazing patients and referring vets. We wish you all a very merry and safe Christmas.

It´s our 5th birthday!

Today we turn 5! Thank you to our fantastic clients, referring vets, family and friends who have made the last five years possible.

Two years ago, Dr Jarrod operated on Clancy´s cruciate ligament rupture. It was a hard time for him and his owner Penny, as Clancy´s injury meant he wasn´t able to compete in his favourite activity, flyball. What we have seen from Clancy´s owner Penny over the last two years is nothing short of amazing. Her dedication to providing the very best rehabilitation for Clancy has meant a huge commitment on her part. Working with our physio Sally, this included an intense program of massage, stretches, targeted strengthening and stability, and laser treatment. So, when Penny recently sent us this video of Clancy chasing his sister Chica around the backyard, we had to share it. It´s hard to believe he ever had an injury! Awesome work Penny and Clancy, we can´t wait to see the next instalment as Clancy heads back to his beloved flyball.

¤

Merry Christmas to all you wonderful pet owners!

Thanks for the laughs, tears and love!

Paddy and the bubbles

Rolex, a needle and the emergency vet

Animal Referral Hospital thank you video - the outtakes!

Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane - our 1st Birthday!

Pattie the greyhound

Rudy and ARH intern Belinda

'Introducing cheeky Fergus'

Hooch Is Happy To Be Back Home!

Look At Hazel Now!

Floyd's Road To Recovery

Merry Christmas from ARH Brisbane

Spoil your pet the ARH way!

Shortcuts

Our Story

We are a 24 hour emergency & specialist vet hospital in Sinnamon Park, Brisbane, open all day every day. We offer specialist referral services in all areas of surgery, internal medicine and oncology. Our experienced emergency and critical care vets are available when your local vet is closed to care for your pet. You don't need a referral or appointment to visit the clinic after hours.