Kippax Veterinary Hospital

After 18 months intensive study, Dr Michael Archinal was awarded the International Veterinary Acupuncture Certificate in 2004. Since that time, he has been using this scientifically proven therapy to help many of our pets. It is particularly useful in arthritic patients who have trouble taking normal medications.

Dr Michael Archinal has successfully completed 12 months post-graduate study in animal behaviour. He has all the skills to help you and your 4 legged friends life a happier life together. It is important to decide if there is a behavioural problem, or a problem behaviour. With this in mind, there is a very comprehensive form that needs to be filled out to help diagnose the problem, and institute a specific remedial programme. Please down load the form from the web site and drop it in to the reception desk. Our vets will read these and consult with Dr Archinal. One of our reception staff will then contact you to make an appointment.

New to Kippax Veterinary Hospital is the Cat Clinic, run Thursdays 11am - 1.30pm It’s where Cats rule!
During this time we see only cats, no dogs (unless emergency treatment is needed) so your cat can enjoy his or her visit to the vet.
Whether your cat needs a check-up or their vaccination, Thursdays are a great time to book an appointment.
Please call Kippax Veterinary Hospital for further information or to book your cat’s next appointment.          

Dental disease is one of the most common conditions affecting dogs, cats, rabbits and rodents. Long standing dental problems can cause your pet discomfort and may contribute to serious conditions such as heart or kidney disease.

We are able to offer guidance on prophylactic treatments (including dental diets and treats, water supplements and tooth brushing). If homecare alone is not sufficient to take care of your pets dental care we can assist by providing a dental scale and polish treatment (for which your pet needs to be anaesthetised). We are also able to remove problem teeth, perform basic dental x-rays and examine the oral cavity in full detail whilst your pet is anaesthetised. 

If you have been noticing that your pet is having difficulty eating, has smelly breath or teeth that don’t look shiny and white then please call us for an dental check up appointment with one of our trained veterinary nurses or veterinarians.

The diagnostic services available on site include:

 Clinical pathology

-          Haematology

-          Biochemistry

-          Blood glucose analysis

-          Urinalysis (dipstick, specific gravity, sediment examination and cytology)

-          FIV, FeLV, Heartworm testing

Microscopy

-          vaginal cytology

-          faecal analysis

-          ear swab analysis

-          skin analysis

-          urine analysis

-          blood analysis

Diagnostic imaging

-          Radiology (plain and contrast)

-          Ultrasonography

Dermatological testing

-          skin scrapes

-          tape preparations

-          trichograms

-          fungal culture

Other

-          ECG

-          otoscopic equipment

-          ophthalmic equipment

We also have access to external facilities including:

-          Advanced laboratory testing of blood, urine, faeces and body fluids

-          Histopathology

-          Oncology specialists

-          Dermatology specialists

-          Radiology specialists

We offer ultrasonography for the diagnosis of diseases, the monitoring of diseases and for pregnancy diagnosis.

Ultrasonography is a non-invasive, non-painful means of examining the inside of your pet. The main areas that we examine are the abdomen and the heart. The information that you acquire is different from that which you would see from an x-ray. 

Your pet will generally need to have some of their coat clipped away in order to obtain a good image and occasionally will require a sedation if they are very stressed by the situation.

Some examples of the diseases that can be diagnosed with ultrasound include liver and kidney disease, tumours in various abdominal organs, heart valvular and muscle disease and bladder stones.

Examinations
Sometimes our furry friends become unwell or do something that just isn’t quite normal for them. At times like this it’s good to know you can ring Kippax Vet Hospital and we can make a time to see your pet. Usually we can see them within 48hrs for non urgent matters and in cases of emergencies then we can organize to have them seen straight away. We’re open for consultations from 8am to 9am, 9.30am to midday, then 3pm to 6.30pm. If you have a cat that really isn’t that fond of dogs, we do run a cat clinic on Thursday mornings from 10.30am to 1.30pm – in this time we try to avoid routine treatment of dogs so the waiting room is usually empty of all but kitty cats.

Vaccinations
All pets should be vaccinated to prevent against potentially fatal diseases. Here at KVH we recommend the vaccination of dogs against distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus and kennel cough. We use a 3 year combined vaccine for parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis, and a yearly vaccine against kennel cough. For our cats we recommend a standard annual vaccine against feline enteritis and cat flu. If your cat goes outside, then consider the vaccine against FIV and FeLV as well. Our consultations for vaccination include a health check where we will sure your pet is maintained at the highest standard of health.

Did you know that it is the law in the ACT to have all puppies and kittens microchipped? A microchip is a small silicon chip, the size of a grain of rice that is implanted under your pet’s skin. The chip contains a unique identification number that identifies the cat’s owner through an animal registry. The microchip stays for life and provides your pet the best form of permanent identification available. Implanting a microchip is a painless, harmless once-off procedure and all veterinarians are qualified to implant microchips. 

At Kippax Veterinary Hospital we provide microchips at the charge of $72. If you choose to implant the microchip together with any other procedure (vaccination, desexing etc.), the cost is only $55.

Sometimes the pitter-patter of tiny feet is heard on the horizon – usually planned, but occasionally not! Here at KVH we have the ability to check your dog or cat for pregnancy from 4 weeks of gestation. If we didn’t use ultrasound, it could be not until 7 or even 8 weeks of gestation (dogs and cats give birth after 9 weeks of gestation) before pregnancy can be confirmed by feeling the abdomen. Early detection of pregnancy (and in some cases number of babies) at 4 weeks allows for decisions to be made regarding the future of the pregnancy and planning for maintaining mum in optimum health throughout the pregnancy, birth and rearing stages.

Puppy classes are a great way of socialising your puppy with other dogs, humans and new situations! All puppies between 8 and 16 weeks of age are welcome. The only requirement we have is the first puppy vaccination to be current. No previous training is needed as we will teach you everything you need to know about training your new family member. We cover health topics, behavioural topics and training topics. Class size varies from 5 to 8 pups per class. We run Puppy Preschool every Tuesday and Thursday 7pm-8pm and they go for five consequtive weeks.
To book your spot, please call us on 02 6255 1242!

Next Puppy Preschool Start Dates:
T.B.A.

Radiology is a branch of veterinary and medical science which incorporates the use of x-rays for diagnostic purposes. Xrays are a useful non-invasive tool that has many applications from assessing bones to lung fields. We are able to offer a wide range of radiological services including plain x-rays and contrast xrays (such as barium studies, intravenous pyelography, urethrograms and more). We are also able to offer hip and elbow scoring for a variety of schemes.

Routine Surgery
Most animals need to have surgery done at some stage in their lives, unfortunately. Often the surgery is for very routine things, such as desexing/neutering, wound suture, drainage of abscesses or small lump removals. Whilst here at KVH we do these things a lot, and we consider them fairly routine, we fully appreciate that for the owner and their animal, these things are never routine. We offer everything we can to make the process as safe and stress free for all as we possibly can, such as pre-operative blood tests, intra-operative fluids, constant one-to-one anesthetic monitoring and post-op recovery, and contact with owners after surgery to assure them all has gone well.

Elective Surgery
Sadly, a lot of animals at some stage in their lives need to have surgery for something fairly major, from broken limbs, advanced wounds, exploratory abdominal surgery, intestinal surgery or advanced soft tissue or orthopaedic surgery. Many of these surgeries can be done at KVH although we sometimes make use of specialist surgeons that are available to us as well. At KVH, all surgeries are offered the highest standard of care, with continuous monitoring during their anesthetic and one-to-one nursing care during the critical times. At KVH we are well equipped with monitoring machines, surgical instruments and well trained staff to allow us to perform difficult and demanding procedures to a high standard.