‘Our team is committed to providing the best pet health care available, every hour of the day’.
The St Helena Veterinary Centre offers a complete range of routine medical and surgical services. Patients that require overnight hospital care as well as more complicated cases are referred to Bundoora Veterinary Clinic & Hospital.
At St Helena we offer:
Consulting Hours: Monday to Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am– noon.
Appointments are required during consulting hours and are often available at short notice.
Surgical procedures are by appointment only.
Specialist Practice is available at Bundoora, appointments can be arranged through St Helena.
Consulting Hours: By appointment only.
Dr Birgitte Horn is a registered canine medicine specialist. Although she is a specialist in canine medicine, Gitte also accepts feline patients. Gitte has a special interest in diagnostic ultrasound and medical treatment of cancer patients i.e. chemotherapy. She also performs colour Doppler cardiac ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, oncology and chemotherapy.
Our emergency centre – Northern Suburbs Animal Emergency Centre.
Consulting Hours:
Monday to Friday 7pm-9am.
Saturday 6pm-12 midnight
Sundays & Public Holidays 24 hours.
The Northern Suburbs Animal Emergency Centre provides an after hours emergency service and continues the 24-hour care for our hospital patients. We are open all night, every night and 24 hours on public holidays. We also accept referrals from surrounding practices for example when they have patients needing overnight care and monitoring.
The hospital is equipped to deal with emergency situations with an extensive pharmacy including blood products. We have an in house laboratory allowing serum biochemistry, electrolytes, haematology, urinalysis, coagulation assays, stains and general microscopy. In addition we have digital radiology, full ECG monitoring, and ventilators.
The cost of emergency care is higher than the general practice fees due to the emergency equipment required and higher cost structure of staffing.
It is preferable to phone ahead so that we can be prepared for your arrival. Patients are triaged and emergency patients will be given priority.
We offer free advice on the safest and most appropriate products to use on your pets. We sell flea products, heart worm preventatives, shampoo, premium pet foods and other related pet needs at competitive prices.
We remind cat and dog owners that pets must be microchipped for permanent identification and to maximising the chances of lost pets being reunited with their owners. It is vital that owner details such as telephone contacts and address are kept up to date at the microchip registry.
Our hospital also promotes responsible pet ownership. When puppies and kittens are first seen we supply dietary advice, heartworm prevention, and puppy and kitten training pamphlets. We promote the surrounding dog obedience clubs.
We realise hospitalising a sick pet can be an expensive and daunting prospect for many owners. Unfortunately, pet health care is not subsidised by the government. We recommend that you consider acquiring pet insurance. We believe that our fees are fair and reasonable and reflect the level of care and service provided.
It is not always possible to determine the exact cost of your animal’s treatment when it’s first examined, but an initial written estimate will be provided upon admission. If you anticipate a problem paying the fees, please tell us at the outset. If necessary we tailor the costs to suit the owner’s budget. We are happy to provide a daily update on your fees if requested. A deposit will be required for all animals that are hospitalised.
All accounts must be settled prior to discharge. The hospital accepts cash, credit and EFTPOS cards. Cheques will only be accepted provided we have acceptable identification.
Referring clinics receive daily updates by email or fax of animals currently hospitalised. As Veterinarians in charge of a particular animal on each shift change, they communicate directly with one another as a grand round type arrangement which ensures information is passed directly from one veterinarian to another.
Reception staff are also included in this process to ensure that telephone enquiries can be directed rapidly to the correct staff member. Owners receive updates as required. At every shift change animals are fully examined by the ongoing veterinarian and in this way they benefit from receiving a number of opinions regarding their illness and treatment. However, we use a team approach to all treatments. Nurses record all observations in-between veterinary examinations.
At discharge, owners receive an itemised invoice and detailed discharge instructions which include details of medications, potential complications and aftercare requirements.
Communication is a key issue in providing good customer service to veterinary clients. Clients have direct access to ever increasing alternative sources of knowledge and are becoming more demanding of both quality veterinary treatment and of good service. The Bundoora Veterinary Clinic and Hospital fills this role by providing 24-hour patient care and by delivering excellence in animal care, service, and treatment. We ensure our staff are at the forefront of veterinary knowledge and ensure our patients receive the best treatment possible. We honestly communicate our treatment regimes and prospects. Above all we show owners compassion and care.