The Pet Specialists, a new state-of-the-art referral hospital facility in Terrey Hills, is providing specialised veterinary care on the Northern Beaches.
The team is actually not new (though it has expanded – more on that later). The Pet Specialists have been providing complex veterinary care on the Northern Beaches since 2015 but under the name Northside Veterinary Specialists (NVS).
Unfortunately, it was too often confused with their critical-care neighbours at Northside Emergency Veterinary Services (NEVS) so their move to a new state-of-the-art facility marked a rebrand to make a clearer distinction (for all of our sakes!)
The new facility has given The Pet Specialists even more room to grow – they’ve recently added oncology, dermatology and ophthalmology to the range of veterinary specialities available to the Northern Beaches’ estimated 75,000 dogs and 50,000 cats – not to mention uncounted fish, birds and bunnies.
Other services include internal medicine, radiology, diagnostic imaging, surgery, rehabilitation, anaesthesia and exotic animal medicine.
So, who are The Pet Specialists?
The Pet Specialists work on cases referred to them by primary care vets and also continue their innovative mobile surgical service to local vets.
Commencing with a consultation that includes you and your pet, The Pet Specialists (also referred to as TPS) can investigate and diagnose the root cause of health issues, then design a treatment plan based on your pet’s particulars and previous or ongoing treatments.
Dr Maddie, Dr Amelia and Nurse Lisa.TPS has 70 employees including 10 veterinary specialists, all dedicated to excellence in veterinary care, for all creatures great and small, which is both comprehensive and compassionate for the pet and their owner. And extremely well qualified.
Who is on the team?
Two of the TPS specialists are examiners on the Fellowship Board which registers new specialists in Australia and New Zealand, and the TPS radiologist is President of the Australasian Association of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging.
The talented team of specialists as partners include imaging specialist Dr Kathleen Chow and specialist surgeon Dr Alen Lai.
A founding Director of TPS is Dr Eugene Buffa – an experienced and passionate surgeon who has been a Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery for over 20 years.
Dr Eugene has worked here and in South Africa, at Specialist and Referral Hospitals and also for the Faculty of Veterinary Science of Sydney University where he was the head of Small Animal Clinical Service.
The opening of the new facility The Pet Specialists Referral Hospital was a proud moment for him and the team after almost nine years of exponential growth with Northside Vet Specialists.
“It has been an honour to have had the opportunity to provide this facility for our community. We are only able to achieve this through the dedicated efforts of our hard-working team,” he said.
TPS also works closely with wildlife and conservation groups to help protect our native wildlife.
Dr Eugene grew up in South Africa and has lived on the Northern Beaches for 16 years. He has noted that moreso than in some other areas, our pets tend to lead active and outdoor lifestyles, so tend to expose themselves to orthopaedic injuries, such as Cranial Cruciate Ligament injuries, patella dislocations, occasional fractures etc.
He says warning signs that your pet might need help include changes in usual behaviour, loss of appetite, change in demeanour, difficulty breathing, lameness, difficulty rising etc. Any of which should lead to a visit to your primary care vet who can assess and then decide if referral to The Pet Specialists is in your vet’s best interests.
The most challenging and rewarding cases for Dr Eugene involve spinal surgery.
“The patient often presents paralysed and [in pain] which we are usually able to alleviate after surgery. It is very rewarding to see them walking again after a recovery period.”
He is also an advocate for pet insurance. “It is a very important part of pet ownership as it takes the financial stress out of being able to provide your best with the best possible care.”
While The Pets Specialists can tackle a wide range of health issues in all manner of pets, their first consideration is always what is in the best interests of the animal.
“We generally advocate for quality of life over quantity,” says Dr Eugene.
Another founding director is Dr David Collins, an internal medicine specialist.
A Northern Beaches local, Dave graduated from the University of Sydney in 1995. He has 20-plus years of veterinary experience, with the last eight spent focusing on referral medicine.
Dave is committed to ensuring the Northern Beaches has its very own quality veterinary care provider.
Together, Dr Eugene and Dr David created Northside Veterinary Specialists in 2015, which expanded rapidly and after several years of planning led to creation of The Pet Specialists and now the opening of the new dedicated facility, equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
For all the people and tech involved, the good doctors have never lost sight of their role in the special relationship between people and their pets.
“We don’t just care for animals, we also care for the people who love them,” says Practice Manager Laura Topham.
Article sponsored by The Pet Specialists.
