Southpaws Specialty Surgery for Animals

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Kingston, VIC
Southpaws Specialty Surgery for Animals

Australia's premier specialist referral and emergency hospital.

18/09/2025

Nothing melts our hearts like seeing our patients getting cozy during recovery!

💙 This little Boston Terrier is wrapped up in comfort and care at Southpaws Veterinary Specialist Hospital.

When your pet needs specialised care, we're here with expertise and endless compassion. 🐾

17/09/2025

Did someone say Pink? 💗

16/09/2025

When hope meets expertise, miracles happen. 💙
Ollie's journey from an aggressive cancer diagnosis to running excitedly through our doors tells the story of what's possible when veterinary medicine meets unwavering compassion.

Dr. James Simcock explains: "Ollie was first treated at Southpaws several months ago for an apocrine gland a**l sac adenocarcinoma. While the primary tumour was removed successfully, follow-up CT imaging revealed that the cancer had spread to abdominal lymph nodes. These nodes were not only enlarged but closely associated with major blood vessels, creating a complex and high-risk surgical scenario. Understandably, Ollie's family were deeply concerned about the risks, prognosis, and how best to move forward.”

Dr James took time to carefully discuss the options with Ollie's owners, making sure he truly understood their concerns and what mattered most to them. Treatment was planned with the dual aim of addressing those concerns and giving Ollie the best possible chance at a good quality of life. The surgery involved a delicate dissection of the nodes from the blood vessels, and Ollie has now recovered remarkably well. At Southpaws, our approach to cancer care is never one-size-fits-all — we balance the medical, surgical, and personal factors that influence decision-making, tailoring treatment to each patient and their family. This personalised approach ensures that our patients not only receive advanced care but that their families feel supported every step of the way.

Four major operations. Delicate dissections around vital blood vessels. Countless after-hours calls. Every decision guided by one question: What's best for Ollie and his family?

This is care reimagined, where medical excellence meets genuine compassion, and families never walk the journey alone.
If your pet is facing a difficult diagnosis, you don't have to navigate it alone. Contact us to discuss how we can help.

At Southpaws, we don't just save lives. We give families hope, time, and reasons to smile again. 🐾

15/09/2025

Dog bite wounds are a common presentation in our pets and can range from minor scratches to deep and large wounds. It is very important to seek veterinary advice if these occur as what we see at the surface on the skin can very much be only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the true damage that has occurred.

The bite from a dog can be very powerful so despite there possibly only being a few puncture wounds on the surface, there may be much more severe damage under the skin to various underlying structures such as muscles, tendons, or nerves that can only be identified on closer examination. Sedation provided under the care of a veterinarian is often recommended to allow for full exploration of the bite wound to accurately assess the damage that has occurred. This also allows for pain relief to be provided that is appropriately tailored to the severity of the wound. Additionally, the mouths of dogs can carry various microbes meaning the risk of infection following a dog bite can be quite high, even in smaller appearing wounds. Examination of the wound under sedation allows veterinarians to more effectively flush and remove damaged and potentially infected tissues, which will help prevent infection and promote healing of the wound. A course of antimicrobial medication (e.g. antibiotics) is often prescribed to minimise the risk of infection.

Surgical closure of the wound may be attempted by the veterinarian on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes wounds are not closed immediately as the viability of various tissues cannot always be determined at the time of presentation. Therefore, it is important for continued reassessment by a veterinarian in the cases of more severe bite wounds. Whilst treatment of dog bite wounds is often successful if treated early and aggressively, prevention of dog bites via responsible pet ownership is just as important. This may include proper training, socialisation, and supervision, that play key roles in keeping our pets safe.

11/09/2025

R U OK? 🐾
Today and every day, let's check in with the veterinary professionals in our lives. Behind every healing touch and compassionate decision is a human heart that sometimes needs our care too.

If you're struggling, you're not alone:
🐾 Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)
🐾 Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 - beyondblue.org.au
🐾 Sophie's Legacy - sophieslegacy.com ("We're Only Human" campaign)
🐾 Flynn's Walk - flynnswalk.com.au (Community walks & su***de prevention)
🐾 Australian Veterinary Association - ava.com.au (Professional wellbeing resources)
🐾 VetLove - vetlove.com.au (Mental health support for Australian vets)
🐾 R U OK? - ruok.org.au (Start life-saving conversations)
🐾 1800RESPECT - 1800 737 732 (24/7 counselling)

To pet owners: Your vet sees families at their most vulnerable moments. They balance medical expertise with emotional support, often working long hours for less than you might think. When costs are high, remember - there's no Medicare for pets, and your vet wishes they could help for free. Client abuse is one of the leading causes of poor mental health in this profession.

To the veterinary community: Your compassion is your superpower, not your weakness. The same heart that comforts a scared animal deserves that same gentle care. It's okay to not be okay. Seeking help doesn't make you less capable - it makes you human.

To everyone: Be kind to your vet and their staff. Say thank you. Bring them coffee occasionally. Understand that difficult conversations about prognosis and costs aren't personal attacks - they're professionals doing their job with your pet's best interests at heart.

10/09/2025

Today on World Su***de Prevention Day, thinking about our veterinary family 💙

The weight you carry isn't just the medical decisions or the long hours. It's the emotional labor of being present for others when they're losing their best friend. It's the impossible balance between business realities and your calling to heal. It's dealing with client abuse when you're already emotionally drained from putting animals to sleep and comforting grieving families.

We lose a vet to su***de every 12 weeks in Australia. Vets are four times more likely to die by su***de than the general population. Behind every statistic is someone's daughter, son, friend, colleague.

Dr Sophie Putland was 33 when she took her own life in 2021, shortly after experiencing client abuse. Her family created Sophie's Legacy - now sending "We're Only Human" posters to every vet clinic in Australia, reminding clients to treat vet staff with respect.

Dr Flynn Hargreaves died by su***de in 2018. His friend Jack Levitt started Flynn's Walk - community walks held across Australia where vets, their families, and supporters come together to talk openly about mental health and break down the stigma.

Both organisations have turned personal tragedy into powerful advocacy, creating change in an industry that desperately needs it.

The veterinary profession is one of the most rewarding yet challenging careers. Let's support the people who dedicate their lives to saving our animals.
Share this post. Start conversations. Be part of the change.

09/09/2025

Sometimes it really is that simple. We care. 💙

We care about your pet - like this sweet bulldog who melted all our hearts today.

We care about the journey - every moment, every touch, every interaction along the way.

And we care about our team - because when we support each other, your pet gets the very best of all of us.

That's the Southpaws difference. It's not complicated. We just care.

08/09/2025

🌟 Client Feedback 🌟

We love hearing from our wonderful clients! Your feedback helps us continually improve and provide the best care for your furry friends. Thank you for trusting Southpaws with your pets. 🐾💖

05/09/2025

🐕 Why does your dog still limp even after they've healed?
Meet "pain memory" when your dog's nervous system remembers an old injury and keeps sending pain signals long after healing is complete.

This can cause:
Hyperalgesia – normal touches feel extra painful
Allodynia – gentle strokes that should feel good now hurt instead

The result? Your pup may still limp, guard their body, or avoid play even though they're physically healed.

The good news: Modern pain management treats both the injury AND the nervous system, breaking the pain memory cycle before it becomes permanent.
Early intervention is everything, the sooner we address pain properly, the better chance your dog has of moving freely and happily again. 🏃‍♂️

Talk to your vet about receiving a Pain Clinic referral and let's talk about how we can help your dogs pain. ❤️‍🩹

04/09/2025

Precision isn't just skill, it's responsibility.

03/09/2025

Did you know that splenic tumours in dogs can be silent but serious?

Many develop without obvious signs, or start with subtle symptoms like reduced energy, poor appetite, or mild weakness. In other cases, dogs may show vomiting, abdominal swelling, or even collapse — these signs can sometimes point to something serious happening inside and should never be ignored.

Not all splenic tumours are malignant (aggressive, invasive), but approximately two-thirds are, and of those, about two-thirds are haemangiosarcomas (HSA) — an aggressive cancer of the blood vessels that can rapidly spread to major organs like the lungs, liver, heart, brain, and beyond. In fact, around 25% of dogs with HSA will also have a heart mass at diagnosis. Prognosis is unfortunately poor: without treatment, survival after spleen removal (splenectomy) is typically 1–3 months, while combining surgery with chemotherapy can extend life expectancy to 6–9 months. Only a small number of dogs survive beyond a year.

The most powerful tool you have is vigilance. Stay tuned in to your pet’s behaviour, and seek veterinary advice promptly if something seems off. Diagnostic tests — including physical exams, bloodwork, imaging (like X-rays and ultrasound), and urine a**lysis — help detect abnormalities such as these tumours early and guide the best course of treatment. Early action can make a real difference in both quality and length of life.

02/09/2025

Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships.....?

More like, Was this the face that launched a thousand treats and melted a million hearts? Correct!

Address

3 Roper Street
Kingston, VIC
3189

Telephone

+61395531775

Website

http://www.southpaws.com.au/

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About Southpaws

Southpaws is a practice consisting of vets and nurses who work with animal lovers who have pets with serious medical conditions by providing expert compassionate care so that their pets have the best chance for recovery and a return to a normal life.