About Us

Our Approach

One of our aims is to make your pets visit to our Hospital as enjoyable as possible.

It is not a secret that, here at Caroline Springs Veterinary Hospital, we are actively trying to create an environment that your pets will feel comfortable and safe in.

We treat your pets as if they were our own. We know that we would only leave our pets where they are cared for and loved in safe hands, just as you would too.

What we do

We try to keep waiting times to a minimum and direct you and your pet into consultation rooms and away from the busy reception area as soon as a room becomes available. In the reception area we are aware of providing visual barriers to reduce arousal between dogs and to reduce anxiety in cats and exotic animals.

We provide separate dog and cat consultation rooms. Cats and dogs pick up on each others scent and this can cause distress to cats and arousal to dogs if different species frequent a small area.

The cat consultation room utilises pheromone technology with a Feliway diffuser that runs 24 hours a day. Feliway is a pheromone (scent molecules) that causes a reflexive sense of wellbeing when cats inhale the smell. Humans cannot smell feliway and only cats receive its calming benefits.

The cat consultation room provides cats with an area to explore on our large and solid scratching post. Many cats prefer to be examined on a ledge of the cat gym rather than the examination table. An enclosed igloo bed, sprayed with feliway, encourages many cats to nestle into the bed. Most cats feel safer examined when some protection has been provided and they are not exposed to slippery surfaces and bright lights. The igloo can be lifted onto the exam table with the cat remaining there for most of the physical check.

We will spray your cat carriers with feliway to reduce car travel anxiety in cats during your trip home. Ideally the cat carrier should be sprayed before the cat is put in it at home and transported to the vets. We will spray the bedding for free if you bring it in before your cat’s scheduled visit.

The dog consultation room uses the dog pheromone, Adaptil, as a diffuser that runs 24 hours a day. This pheromone has been shown to reduce arousal and anxiety in dogs. Humans cannot small Adaptil and only dogs receive the calming benefits.

Dogs will usually be advised to be let off the lead in the consultation room and explore whilst the vet takes a history and talks to you and your pet first. This gives the dog a chance to become settled and accept treats before any physical examination.

We have a real interest in making owners aware of the importance of recognising early signs of anxiety and giving appropriate information to prevent behavioural problems. We offer veterinary behavioural consultations and have a positive qualified reinforcement dog trainer on the team to help you with any issues, big or small.

Our animal wards are separated into cats, small dogs and large dogs, equipped with pheromone diffusers to minimise stress.

We play “calming music for dogs” which is a CD of classical piano music. This background music is shown to relax dogs in the dog wards. We are also conscious of reducing noise in the prep area and wards as loud sharp noise distresses animals.

We use “calming caps” which help relax dogs and cats by reducing the visual stimuli in an unfamiliar environment.

We have in stock the “thunder shirts” which utilise the calming sensation of pressure wraps to reduce anxiety. The shirts can be fitted in the hospital and used during your pet’s stay, during travel to the hospital and for other times where your pet may experience anxiety, such as during fireworks and lightening.

As with people, all animals have varying pain thresholds. Owners know best how their pet responds to pain. In addition to injections given in hospital, we give owners the option of using extended pain relief for their pets after any surgical procedure.

Like all veterinary clinics, we use medications, sedation and anaesthetics to reduce pain and cause relaxation to enable procedures to be performed safely and humanely.

We have the most popular puppy playschool in the area.

For your convenience we are open late:

Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm
Saturday 9am to 4pm
Sunday 10am to 12 noon