Our Vets:
Dr Scott Hall, Dr Belinda Gibbs, Dr Leah Fox, Dr Nicole Trigg, Dr Laura Sabine, Dr Juliette Riddall, Dr Fiona Williams, Dr Tamara Targo-Bailey
Our Nurses:
Giannina, Sonia, Vicky, Carol, Nicole, Tania, Natalie, Emily, Sandy, Tammy, Janelle, Steve, Sonia and Stephanie.
Vicky
Vicky is part of our emergency nursing team. Vicky is currently completing her Diploma in Veterinary Nursing. Before starting her vet nurse training, Vicky obtained a Bachelor of Art (Philosophy of Science) and is certified as a pathology specimen collector.
Vicky first started working at Animal A&E in November 2006. Vicky likes the spontaneous nature of emergency work, she likes the challenges and that you often don't see the same thing twice.
Vicky has a soft spot for cats and enjoys seeing them interact with their owners.
Sonja
Sonja started with Animal A&E as a receptionist and administration assistant. Sonja is now in training for her Diploma of Veterinary Nursing.
Sonja first started with Animal A&E in January 2007. Sonja found that she really liked the exposure to different cases that we see at the emergency centre. Sonja likes the way that everyone needs to pull together as a team and that animal care also extends to supporting the client and patient.
Sonja seems a bit confused about what her favorite pet would be. Hmm, a Chocolate Burmese or a black pug or a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or a...........
Emily
Emily has been friendly and talkative member of the emergency nursing team since July 2006. She has her certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and has held management positions mixed general veterinary practice. She is currently studying to become a paramedic.
Emily enjoys nursing here, she feels appreciated as a valued part of the team. She also likes the variety and interesting aspects of our caseload.
Emily’s favourite pets are her own: “Pip” is her gorgeous border collie who is ‘so smart’ and has 1 ½ blue eyes; “Jake” is the insane but lovable staffy x mini foxie; and “Annie” who is the spiteful, vengeful tortie. Apparently the definition ‘naughty torti’ stemmed from her cat!
Sonia
Sonia is an experienced nurse and has attained Advanced Certificate in Veterinary Nursing. She is responsible for our occupational health and safety requirements and has worked at the Animal A&E since May 2005.
Sonia enjoys the challenge of nursing a critically ill patient and the reward of seeing it go home with its owner knowing that her skills have helped make that possible. She has appreciated the opportunity to travel to the USA recently to attend intensive emergency and critical care conferences.
“Obie” is her favourite labrador with a fascinating and rare skin condition and I bet if you found her a fawn pug she wouldn’t say no to taking it home.
Laura
Laura obtained her Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2003 and is the most recent addition to the team at Animal A & E. She has her Level One coaching certificate for horse riding and is studying to sit her Membership examinations for the Australian College of Veterinary Surgeons in emergency and critical care next year.
The tangible commitment by the Animal A & E to providing the best possible service to pets and their owners gives Laura job satisfaction, especially seeing how happy they and their owners are when reunited.
Just don't ask Laura about Chicago, Tiger, Raspberry, Sherry, Domper, Koshka, Mau, Pussbag Fatboy, Pepper, Jordan, Kitty, Harry, Cruise, Paso, Boz, Jackpot, Rowie, Brinkley, BJ or Swing unless you want to spend half an hour talking about her pets.
Juliette
Juliette is an experienced veterinarian and a valuable member of the Animal A & E team. She graduated from the University of Liverpool and has attained a certificate in Veterinary Anaesthesia from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and is a member of both the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists for feline medicine.Juliette has worked at Animal A&E since October 2005 and gets satisfaction from being able to help people and their pets through really difficult times. She enjoys the ‘rush’ of emergency work and the veterinarian brain work required, the emotions, the caring and the ability at the end of it all, regardless of outcome, to know you have a job well done.
Like most of us, Juliette’s favourite pets have been rescues: “Pongo” the german shorthaired pointer came from the RSPCA when she worked there six years ago and “Jackson” the 17 year old English ginger cat who was found in her first year of practice in the middle of the road, meowing for a new loving owner.
Sandy
We have been lucky enough to have Sandy as an emergency nurse at the Animal A & E since May of 2005. Sandy is currently finishing a Diploma of Veterinary Nursing Management, has Membership of the Veterinary Council of Australia and the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society and is a certified Veterinary Nurse.
Sandy likes the daily challenges and stimulation of emergency work and finds it extremely rewarding. Our work too, however, can be very sad.
Sandy has two Golden Retrievers and can help us out with the occasional exotic pet; she also has a chook, four tortoises, budgies, quail and fish.
Giannina
Giannina is our Nurse Administration Manager and also gets in on the action as an Emergency Nurse. She has an Associate Diploma of Applied Science (Animal Technology) and has nineteen years experience as a veterinary nurse.
Giannina remembers the 16th of May 2005 well. It was her first day at Animal A & E and the day we opened.
Like the rest of us, Giannina likes that every day brings a new challenge and she loves the adrenalin rush of emergency work. She enjoys working with a group of dedicated staff whose collective goal is to end up with the best achievable outcome for everyone involved in a case.
Maggie is Giannina’s family dog. She’s a Lhaso Apso cross with attitude to spare and a crazy personality that Giannina says fits in perfectly with her crazy life. We’re suspicious though that she’d trade Maggie for a Staffy in a heartbeat.
Carol
Carol has eighteen years experience as a veterinary nurse. She is qualified with a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing and as a super-mum.
Carol giggles wickedly when stating that her torture at the Animal A & E started two years ago. We think she means her torture of us…
The pleasure of helping beloved pets that are sick and injured, and the great team environment she helps support, make this job enjoyable for Carol.
Favourite pets are impossible to replace and for Carol this was ‘Jerry Lee’ a thirteen year old German Shepherd her family lost recently. She now mothers a sweet little Chihuahua cross named Minnie who is doing well trying to fill some rather large shoes.
Nicole
Nicole has worked at Animal A & E since the day before we opened. She is a qualified Veterinary Nurse and has been nursing for nineteen years. She has also obtained an Advanced Certificate in Urban Horticulture and so manages to keep our pot plants alive – not an easy task under 24 hour fluorescent lighting.
Nicole enjoys working with the other staff members. We are lovely she says – an amazing bunch of intelligent, capable, compassionate and fun people. She even thinks the boss is very nice too.
Nicole has been an animal lover since childhood and just adores our patients. She has been a mother to a variety of birds in her time but her favourite pets are cats and dogs, particularly her pampered moggies and her big old dog who went to heaven this year.
Tania
Tania has been an Emergency Nurse at the Animal A & E since December last year. Tania has a Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma in Veterinary Nursing and has fifteen years experience as a veterinary nurse.
There is always something that keeps you on your toes and you never stop learning here at Animal A & E. Tania tries to learn something new every shift and enjoys improving her skills and becoming a much better nurse, able to handle any situation.
Giraffes!! Says Tania when you ask her about her favourite animal - but she hasn’t seen one here at AAE. Although afraid of sounding cliché, Tania loves all animals including exotics, reptiles, rabbits, natives and especially birds. She has an extended animal family at home with three dogs, one horse, one cat, two rabbits, one budgie, a stray pet red winged parrot, six hens and two roosters.
Belinda
Belinda is one of our full time Emergency Vets. We congratulate Belinda on the recent attainment of her Membership of the Australian College of Veterinary Surgeons (Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care). She obtained her Bachelor of Veterinary Science with Honours in 2001 and has been working here since November 2006.
We can all relate to Belinda when she answers why she likes working at Animal A & E; caring for animals in intensive care is very satisfying when you have helped a critically ill or injured animal make a good recovery and go home with their family again.
You’ll have to let Belinda explain to you about her favourite pets: ‘ Max’ Malmo a kelpie and Concheta a blue heeler.