Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane

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Seventeen Mile Rocks, QLD
Animal Referral Hospital Brisbane

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24 hour emergency and specialist vet hospital in Sinnamon Park.

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

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.

21/10/2026

Minoxidil is the active ingredient in Regaine, and other hair regrowth foams, solutions and serums and in minoxidil tablets. Cats are extremely sensitive to it, exposure results in severe acute heart failure, blood pressure collapse, fluid flooding the lungs and chest.

THE THREE ROUTES
🐾Your skin – Cats lick their owner’s scalp, hairline, hands or forearms (The most common way cats are poisoned)
🐾Your bed – Residue transfers onto pillowcases & sheets overnight and your cat lies on it, then grooms themselves
🐾A spill or the bin – Cats have died after knocking a bottle onto their own coat or chewing a used applicator out of the bin

Seek emergency care immediately, don’t wait and watch. Signs can start within 30 minutes or be delayed for hours:
❗️Fast, shallow or laboured breathing
❗️Lethargy, hiding, weakness or collapse
❗️Gone off food or vomiting
❗️Cold to touch, especially ears and paws
❗️Pale, grey or blue gums
❗️Any known contact with the product

Any known or suspected exposure is an emergency even if your cat seems fine. Tell the vet what product was involved and bring the bottle if you can. Always mention that you have this medication at home even if you think your cat has had no access.

18/10/2026

We’ve already seen several paralysis tick cases in our hospital, serving as a reminder of just how important daily tick searches are.

More than 70% of ticks are found on the front half of the animal. A tick search should be done by running your fingertips through your pet’s coat, making sure you check everywhere, including obvious and obscure areas (See below!)

A paralysis tick is initially small, flat, oval-shaped and brown, once the tick is engorged from having attached and bitten your pet it can become up to 1-3cm in size and turn a grey/bluish colour.

Tick paralysis is a life-threatening and preventable condition. Speak with your veterinarian about the most appropriate tick prevention for your pet and make checking for ticks’ part of your daily routine during tick season

14/10/2026

What started as an ordinary training session for Golden Retriever pup Ginger, quickly became anything but ordinary. Ginger was given a tasty treat for her good work, but it got stuck in her throat. Her owners acted quickly, attempting a Heimlich-like manoeuvre, but Ginger collapsed and lost consciousness. She was rushed to her regular vet, who attempted retrieval, then referred on to ARH.

Upon arrival, Ginger was in a critical state, unable to breathe properly and having dangerously low oxygen levels. What followed was a rapid response, highlighting the collaborative and multidisciplinary approach taken at ARH.

Our Emergency and Critical Care team took charge of the initial assessment, quickly identifying the fluid on her lungs that had already begun developing because of the airway obstruction.

Our dedicated veterinary technicians swiftly placed nasal oxygen lines to support Ginger's breathing while the anaesthesia and internal medicine teams were briefed on the plan.

With her airway compromised and her condition deteriorating, our specialist anaesthesia team stepped in to manage her anaesthetic and assess her airway.

A small camera was passed into her airway, allowing the internal medicine team to locate the piece of kibble inside Ginger’s windpipe - obstructing about 90% of it! The kibble was fragile and partially disintegrated during attempts at retrieval.

It was time for plan B! Our critical care specialist and anaesthetist used an improvised device to remove the foreign body. A urinary catheter was inserted into the airway past the obstruction, the balloon was inflated and the obstruction was pulled out from behind.

Unfortunately, Ginger's journey wasn't over just yet, she required ongoing oxygen support and care in our intensive care unit due to the fluid accumulation in her lungs from a condition called noncardiogenic pulmonary oedema.

Two days later, she had regained the unmistakable energy of a puppy who was very ready to go home. She bounded out of ARH just two days after her terrifying ordeal, tail wagging and with an excellent prognosis.

Ginger's case is a wonderful example of what is possible when a skilled, collaborative team works seamlessly together. We wish Ginger all the best with her training!

12/10/2026

Have you ever had questions about Critical & emergency care? Dr Adam Whitelock (Emergency & Critical Care Veterinarian) answers some common questions people may have!

A criticalist is a veterinary specialist in emergency and critical care — think of them as the intensive care doctors of the animal world. After becoming a vet, it takes about an additional 5-8 years of training: a rotating internship +/- a specialty internship, and then a three-year residency, followed by a set of demanding board examinations.

They look after the sickest patients in the hospital — the ones whose bodies are failing in more than one place at once — and work alongside the surgeons, internal medicine specialists and critical care nurses to get them through.

Your pet would usually see a criticalist when things are unstable, moving fast, or affecting more than one organ system. Some common examples include; difficulty breathing, severe trauma, snake envenomation, tick paralysis, heatstroke, collapse, shock, or uncontrolled bleeding and complications after major surgery or anaesthesia.

Things you should know about critical care:

📌Getting better is rarely a straight line
Day two or three often looks worse than day one, particularly with severe conditions. This does not automatically mean things are going badly — but it does mean that a firm prognosis will not be given on the first night, because we genuinely do not have one yet.

📌It is the same level of care you would receive in a human ICU
People are often surprised by this. We treat the same conditions — sepsis, respiratory failure, kidney injury, shock — using the same medications, the same monitoring, and in many cases the identical machines, bought from the same manufacturers.

📌Ask us anything, including about money
Cost is a legitimate part of the clinical conversation. If the plan is unaffordable, tell us early and we will tell you honestly what can and cannot be safely done within your budget.

📌Deciding not to pursue intensive care is a valid, kind decision
Not every patient should be treated, and choosing euthanasia to prevent suffering is a legitimate act of care — not a failure. We just want the best outcome for you and your pet.

08/10/2026

Vet Nurse & Tech Week 🩺

Meet Tianna, a neurology nurse here at ARH!

🧠 Describe being a vet nurse in 3 words
Rewarding, stinky, ever-changing

🧠 Do you have any “superpowers” or weird clinic skills?
I have very strong fingers!

🧠 Most memorable patient?
A dog was transferred to the Neurology department from ECC because he was having these full body jerks that were non-stop! Dr Perri & the team did some diagnostics testing & started some medications. At his recheck a few weeks later he was doing soooo much better & is acting like a normal happy dog again!

🧠 What is your favourite thing about nursing?
My favourite part of this job is the vet-owner-patient relationship. Having incredibly dedicated owners with sweet angelic pets is such a fabulous combination & makes my job so much more enjoyable!!

🧠 A message to fellow vet nurses
You’re doing amazing sweetie! Our job is most of the time a thankless one, so thank you for being consistent in the love & attention for your patients & showing up for each other.

04/10/2026

It’s vet nurse and vet tech week, and we’re taking a moment to celebrate the incredible people who make such a difference to our patients, their families and our entire team.

Our nurses and techs are there through it all, from admissions, looking after hospitalised patients, assisting in theatre and providing comfort when it's needed most.

Behind every patient is a team, and we’re so incredibly grateful for the amazing nurses and techs who bring their knowledge, kindness and passion to work every day.

Thank you for everything you do, often behind the scenes and always with heart.

02/10/2026

Meet Blood donor hero Killian!

Killian is an assistant dog & has been a blood donor for a couple of years now, donating FIVE times!

He is always happy to go out the back & spend time with all the nurses!

Could your pet be a blood donor hero like Killian? Register your interest in joining the ARH Brisbane blood donor program below.
https://bit.ly/3UnNNtM

29/09/2026

We were lucky enough to spend some KOALAty time with Lincoln!

Lincoln was found on the side of the road, unable to cross a barrier. Rescuers were concerned he may have been hit by a car.

Vets at the RSPCA performed a full work up and Lincoln looked completely fine, until radiographs were taken of his head and an unusual opacity in the region of his sinuses was found.

Lincoln was tested for cryptococcus and chlamydiosis, and his nasal passages were flushed and scoped. Nothing was found so he came into ARH for a CT scan to further investigate the unusual opacity.

26/09/2026

ARH Brisbane Conference 2026!

We thought we would share some photos from the ARH Brisbane Conference. A day full of learning, networking & connecting with colleagues. We can't wait for the next one!

Address

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

Telephone

+61731720593

Website

http://arhvets.com.au/brisbane

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