Canberra Vets, Where Do You Go?

[missymac]

So canberra people, what vet do you go to and why? Convenience? your dog gets a jelly been for being good? reasonable price? they actually know what they are doing!?

Am I allowed to ask this on here? Pls PM me if it's not appropriate to post. I am actually asking to get an idea of where to go.

[poodlefan]

I go to Sandra Hasset at the Phillip Animal Medical Centre.. she's not the cheapest in town but she is extremely knowledgeable about dogs, is an obedience instructor and does dog sports herself. Her love of dogs also shines though.

She will give you do's and don'ts on how to raise a pup and keep it sound.

She tends to be the vet of choice for dog sports people and breeders I know.

[Daisy]

Hi missymac,

Have just become a dog owner again, so I'll be interested to hear other people's replies. When I used to have dogs a few years ago, I would always go to All Creatures at Calwell, but for a few different reasons (which I won't go into here) I decided to change vets and went to The Gables - only went there once or twice and they seemed good. Moved to Queanbeyan for a while and tried both West Quenbeyan Vet Hospital and Queanbeyan Veterinary hospital. Both seemed to have good service, but I liked thevet I talked to at West Queanbeyan better (we were talking about a pet mouse with cancer, not a dog).

Since adopting my two new doggies I had to take one to get her stitches out (from desexing). Went to the Tuggeranong Veterinary hospital at Fadden, they seemd friendly and helpful. When my new doggie got something nasty in her eyes (they were all red and swollen) and I called at about 7.20pm one night they couldn't fit me in, so back I went to All Creatures at Calwell - they did get me in before closing, and the vet was very nice. Not sure about how expensive they are compared to other vets, if you want to know I will PM you how much it cost to check her eyes and get some cream. Basically I am a single parent and don't have much spare cash ;) so I am looking for somewhere that is not exorbitant, but I don't mind paying a reasonable amount to know that they are going to do a good job and look after the doggies well.

I know that there is a vet that a lot of teh ARF people use and say is good, but I can't remember the name, will try to find out for you - I didn't go there because it is northside and I am in tuggeranong.

[Staffyluv]

I take Ollie to the West Queanbeyan Vets, his favorite vet is Hamish ;)

Jodie

[trifecta]

Missymac - it depends what you want from your vet. Do you require all the diagnostic equipment, heaps of diagnostic tests, all the latest drugs & veterinary protocol, & a vet that will refer you to all sorts of specialists? Or do you want a tried & tested vet with many years of experience to draw on, who, over the years, has become adept at many facets of veterinary medicine & who charges much lower than most vets & to be honest cares more about the comfort of the animal & the emotional & financial welfare of the owner? If the second one is for you, PM me. I have worked for several vets in Canberra, both equine & small animal, during the 22 years I have resided in the area. I think the forum is too public a place to discuss individual practices; especially in Canberra, which, let's face it, is nothing more than an overgrown country town.

[FHRP]

I go to my local vets - Inner South, for most things and am extremely happy with them. After trying a few vets on peoples recommendations and then put off them by other peoples horror stories I decided to go to my local and try them out. They were Alta then and different vets, but suited me perfectly. Since taken over and made into a larger practice, I have again been very happy with the service. although there are two out of the four vets I will always ask to see. For anything movement/muscle/bone/sports related I go to Sandra Hassett at Phillip Animal Medical Centre, have just been there this morning with my older boy who decided to have a run in with a tree stump yesterday ;) Neither vets are the cheapest, but worth what they cost.

I've said it before, finding a vet that you like can be a personal thing IMO. I have been to a number of other practices in Canberra & Queanbyan that I personally have not liked or have not found a vet that I clicked with at the practice. Other people will swear by these very vets.

[espinay2]

It really depends how well you 'click' with the vet and how comfortable you feel working with them. Remember that a vet is not god - they are your partner in the care of your animal. Just as you respect their knowledge, so should they respect your knowledge and understanding of your animals. Also know that sometimes it can take a while to develop a true working relationship with a Vet. they have to get to know and trust you as a dog owner, just as you need to get to know and trust them. This is one reason I am not fond of big clinics where their is a high turnover of vets and you never know who you will see - very impersonal IMO and a bit like comparing the outpatients clinic at a hospital to your local family GP.

Personally I use the Yass vet hospital. While I have moved back into town, I have a good relationship with them so continue to use them. I trust them and they know me well enough to let me assist with procedures and such. Because they know me I can take a more active role in my animals veterinary care so I stick with them. Others may have a similar relationship with their own different vets.

The Inner South vets have come highly recommended to me and I understand that for specialist care they are a clinic of choice.

I also know a lot of people who use Sandra Hassett and are very happy with the care and dog knowledge she gives.

[Perry's Mum]

Perry and I go to Weston Creek Veterinary Hospital in Waramanga - the vets there have been extremely good with both her and with my previous dog, Amber, who had some severe health problems.

[Melisski]

I go to either All Creatures in Calwell or the Weston Creek clinic - depending on why I'm taking Diesel to the vet. I'm in Theodore so Calwell is less than a five minute drive - good for routine check ups, shots, getting worming tablets etc. Everyone think they're really expensive but I trust the vets there and after the crisis with Rocky last year (that resulted in him getting PTS) I think they did everything they could to make him as happy and comfortable until they diagnosed him.

Have been to Weston Creek to get Diesel's eyes checked for CEA etc. - they were really nice but it's a bit far for a normal check up. My BFs dog goes to Tuggeranong Vet Clinic in Fadden - the guy is nice, great with other animals too (they have rats... unfortunately they've got mites but he gives them free injections, had to get one PTS not long ago... anyway...) but I felt he was a bit slack in terms of information and stuff (or it's possible my BF and his parents just weren't listening - they seem to think that I spend way too much on my dog, and my dog's health - just because Kyra cost us $25, lol. BYB I know but hey she got a good home) they never got told about the different vaccines (C3, C4, C5 etc.) and got charged what seemed like a lot for desexing (to me anyway). But each to his own I guess.

Edited May 18, 2005 by Melisski

[Inky]

I take Tooz to Belconnen Animal Hospital. Purely for convenience, 'cause I don't drive and they're a five minute walk from my house. I like them well enough tho. They're always nice, always competent, and the key thing is that they always indulge me even when I talk their ears off and play 20 questions with them every time I take him in. As for price, I couldn't say. They're the only vet I've been to in Australia, and making a comparison between vet prices in Smalltown, USA and the capital of Australia is like comparing apples and oranges.

[trifecta]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I know some of you doggie people in the Canberra region are probably interested in alternative veterinary treatment. Yesterday, I was in at Griffith shops, stocking up on homoeopathy remedies, when I noticed a business card for a holistic practice in Kambah. The vet's name is Kate Smith-Millhouse & she is trained in traditional veterinary medicine together with acupuncture & homoeopathy. Some of you probably already know her (being a bushie I don't get to town that much) but I thought I would post this info as there has been recent discussion of alternative treatments & where they are available.

BTW haven't ever been to this vet, but my old dog was a patient of Rebecca Palmer, who long-term Canberra residents would probably remember!

[eridorsmooths]

I go to Kambah Vet Hospital. Geoff is fabulous. I also use Malcolm at Fadden.

Hey Melisski, wanna play with puppies? We are in the same suburb!!!!

[Melisski]

OoOoh I always want to play with puppies! lol...

Funny how close you can be to someone and never even know. I told you I was coming over to steal Enya from your place.

[UncySpam]

we took our two girls to weest queanbeyan vet - super impressed! highly recommended. Both had desexing, vacinations, heartworms checks etc. done, they did for a good price cause of so much stuff done at once. Add to that excellent work done and all in all highly recommended.

I know that a number of the arf guys use a paul burgess (???? IIRC) up north somewhere....

[staffordgal]

West Queanbeyan Vet Clinic gets my vote. I always take our staffords and the cats there and find all that work there to be wonderful and they are very reasonable with price also.

When I lived in Tuggeranong I used to go to All Creatures in Calwell, they were great and very handy, and were open 7 days from 7am to midnight. Just too far to go now, but highly recommend them also.

Cheers

Manz

[jordelette]

.

I know that a number of the arf guys use a paul burgess (???? IIRC) up north somewhere....

Peter Burgess

[Guest pugwombat]

Yeah, Peter Burgess. He is located on the corner of Limestone Avenue and some other street - opposite Olims Hotel. He has a real affinity with our two dogs (he looks a bit doggy himself) and they seem to like him - more importantly - he charges reasonable rates, is personable - he doesn't bullshit or overservice (ie he explained the real risk of heartworm in Canberra dogs and having worked in PNG where heartworms are prolific, he knows what he is talking about). We wouldn't take our two dogs anywhere else.

Pugwombat

[poodlefan]

ie he explained the real risk of heartworm in Canberra dogs and having worked in PNG where heartworms are prolific, he knows what he is talking about

I hope he didn't say there was no risk of it Pugwombat. A friend of mine's dog was Canberra born and raised. She hadn't ever treated for it (same vet advice) but when she changed her mind and finally got the dog tested - it returned a positive result.

If you take your dogs to the coast or travel with them at all, the risk will increase of course.

Edited May 20, 2005 by poodlefan

[Perry's Mum]

I think Kate Smith the holistic vet is the one who treated Amber when she was dying - she was fantastic and kept her happy and pain free.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

When we first got to Canberra, we used the vets at Kaleen, but weren't happy with them. Nothing specific, just not overwhelmingly good or pleasant.

Moved to Gungahlin area, and moved vets to Gungahlin vet clinic (the house practice WAY before the hospital opened next to woolies petrol).

The vets are all very experienced and they have a specialist surgeon (always a plus if you have accident prone dogs IMO). But the individual service can vary b/c they're a bigger practice now. I'd use them if we return to the Gungahlin area but they can be a little pricey and sometimes a tiny bit paternalistic - depending on the subject matter.

We still don't know which part of Canberra we will be living in - and we move in five weeks! But I hope we have it sorted soon.