Veterinary Specialists of Sydney

05/06/2025

https://youtu.be/PWMCEWeBHIM

Meet Merlot — a gentle soul living with chronic arthritis in his knees. 🐾 Like many pets with osteoarthritis, Merlot struggled with mobility and pain… until he became one of the first to undergo a cutting-edge treatment: arterial embolisation, performed by our Interventional Radiology team here at VSOS. In this video, we follow Merlot’s treatment journey and his improved comfort and quality of life. This minimally invasive procedure is helping pets like Merlot move more freely again — without the need for major surgery.

01/06/2025

👋 Meet Dr. Matteo Bordicchia – Specialist in Small Animal Medicine 🐾

If you’ve ever met Dr. Matteo, you’ll know he brings not only deep expertise but also a calm, compassionate presence to every case. Originally from Italy, Matteo’s veterinary journey has taken him across Europe — from France to Sweden — before settling here in Sydney with us at VSOS.

Recently, he officially became a European Specialist in Small Animal Medicine, a recognition of years of hard work, study, and commitment to clinical excellence. 🙌

Whether he’s managing complex medical cases, collaborating with GP vets, or reassuring worried pet parents, Matteo’s approach is always the same: thoughtful, thorough, and deeply kind.

Outside the hospital, he loves exploring Sydney’s coastlines, soaking up the sunshine.

We’re lucky to have him on the team — and so are the patients he cares for. 💛

29/05/2025

🧠 What Is a Spinal Tap – and Why Is It Performed? 🧪
Pictured here is our skilled neurologist, Dr. Diego Alza Salvatierra, performing a spinal tap (also known as a cerebrospinal fluid or CSF tap) at VSOS.
A spinal tap is a carefully performed procedure where a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid is collected for diagnostic purposes. This fluid surrounds and protects and nourish the brain and spinal cord, and is typically collected from one of two areas:
🔹 The cerebellomedullary cistern (at the back of the neck)
🔹 The lumbar region (lower spine, as in humans)

This fluid can provide critical information about your pet’s neurological health, particularly when they are showing signs such as seizures, weakness, paralysis, or other unexplained neurological symptoms.

Spinal taps can help diagnose a variety of serious conditions, including:
🔹 Autoimmune central nervous system diseases (e.g., meningoencephalitis of unknown origin)
🔹 Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis
🔹 Infections affecting the brain or spinal cord (e.g., neuroangiostrongyliasis or “rat lungworm,” neosporosis, and others)
🔹 Certain types of cancer

At VSOS, we perform spinal taps with the highest level of care and precision. Using advanced imaging and the expertise of our specialist neurology team, we aim to provide accurate diagnoses and the best possible outcomes for your pet.

Because behind every complex case is a beloved pet that deserves answers. 💙

26/05/2025

Meet Lily – One of our incredible Mobile Nurses at VSOS

Starting out as a Personal Assistant, Lily quickly found her feet in the world of veterinary care. After six months, she transitioned into the Instrument Department, mastering sterilisation and lending a hand in surgery whenever needed. Her dedication and leadership saw her move into a supervisor role, before joining our Mobile Nursing team—where she now thrives.

What’s her favourite part of the job?
“Visiting referral clinics, meeting new people, and working with a different team every day. Oh—and scrubbing into theatre. It’s the best!”

Outside of work, Lily is a proud pet parent to three cats and a toy poodle. She loves surfing and spending time with her family—and her favourite VSOS teammate? Jet (…sorry to Lillys Mum who also works at VSOS!).

20/05/2025

🐾 Today is World Dog Day 🐶💙

To the four-legged friends who greet us like we’ve been gone a lifetime, who sit with us in silence when words fall short, who love without condition and ask for so little in return — today is for you.

You teach us loyalty, patience, joy, and forgiveness. You are family. You are therapy. You are magic in fur and paws.

Whether they’re curled up at our feet or living forever in our hearts — today, we celebrate the dogs who make our lives whole.

18/05/2025

Say hello to Sam Dodd, the incredible coordinator behind our life-saving Blood Bank program at VSOS. With a deep love for animals and a passion for emergency care, Sam ensures that our most critical patients have access to vital blood products—right when they need them most.

Every unit of blood that comes through our hospital has been carefully collected, stored, and managed under Sam’s expert eye. She works closely with our team and our amazing canine donors to maintain a safe and reliable blood supply, giving countless pets a second chance at life.

Whether she’s organising donor days, comforting our brave blood donors (and their humans!), or helping educate vets on transfusion protocols, Sam brings compassion, precision, and heart to everything she does.

We’re so proud to have her as part of our team!

15/05/2025

Patient Story: Lily the Westie & Her New Pacemaker 💓

Meet Lily, a brave 12-year-old West Highland White Terrier who came to us after her local vet noticed her heart rate was unusually slow. Following further investigation by our Cardiologist, Dr Inaki, Lily was diagnosed with sinus node dysfunction—a condition that affects the heart’s ability to beat properly.

To give her the best quality of life, Lily underwent pacemaker surgery right here at VSOS. Thanks to the skilled hands of our cardiology team, a pulse generator was carefully implanted to help regulate her heartbeat, keeping it steady at no less than 80 beats per minute. 🫀

Since her surgery, Lily has been doing really well! She’s now back for her one-month check-up—and we’re thrilled to say she’s doing beautifully at home, with no fainting, no coughing, and lots of tail wags. 🐾

Lily’s journey is a beautiful reminder of how far veterinary medicine has come—and the extraordinary resilience of our furry friends. 💛. See Lily’s full story here on our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/5P7_sBCxzRQ - link in our bio

Meet Lily, a courageous 12-year-old Westie whose journey reminds us just how incredible modern veterinary care can be. After her local vet discovered an abno...