What is considered a pet Emergency?

A pet emergency is any situation where your pet shows sudden or severe symptoms requiring immediate medical attention.

What is considered a pet emergency?

A pet emergency is any situation where your pet shows sudden or severe symptoms requiring immediate medical attention.

Animal Referral Hospital (ARH) Essendon Fields

72 Hargrave Avenue, Essendon Fields, VIC, 3041

Opening Hours

Monday - Sunday: 24hours

(03) 9379 0700

essendon@arhvets.com

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Emergency
Services
About

If you have a pet emergency, come straight to us.

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FAQs

Now that you have made an appointment, what’s next?

We will contact your referring/regular vet clinic to get a full history for your pet, including x-rays, blood results and a referral letter.
We will send you an SMS the day before your appointment to confirm the time. Consultations are by appointment only. If you need to change your appointment please contact our friendly reception team as soon as possible.

What to expect on the day?

Our consultations run for about 1-1.5 hours. At this time, we will discuss your pets’ condition and develop a plan for your pet.
This plan may involve admitting your pet for a procedure to be performed on the same day or booking your pet in for a future procedure spot. This depends on availability on the day, the procedure being performed and also how you would like to proceed.

Fasting & Medication

Reminder: Please bring all medications that your pet is receiving to your appointment.
Please do not feed your pet on the morning of this appointment, but DO NOT WITHHOLD WATER. However, if your pet is diabetic, give a normal meal and a normal dose of insulin before the appointment, unless otherwise advised.
If your pet is on any medication give these medications as normal (can be with a minimal amount of food if needed).
If you have any questions surrounding fasting, please contact the clinic prior to your appointment on 03 9379 0700.

After your initial appointment:

After your initial appointment, we may need to see your pet again for follow up rechecks.
Your initial consultation may also require the veterinarian to get in touch with you via phone to relay results.
To book any future rechecks, or to talk to the Internal Medicine Specialist team about your pet please call the clinic on 03 9379 0700 to relay your request.

Our consultations run for about 1-1.5 hours. This gives the Internal Medicine Specialist the opportunity to go through the patient's full medical record, including pathology and imaging from their referring vet.

A lengthy discussion will be had with the client to outline the concerns of their pet, and to make a plan, whether that be in the form of a procedure, treatment or ongoing care including medical treatment, dietary plan etc.

The consultation time also gives the owner the opportunity to discuss their concerns and any other issues that may be going on with their pet and provides them with adequate time for many questions to be asked and answered.

We are able to offer a multitude of services within the internal medicine department at ARH:

MRI
CT
Radiographs
Endoscopic procedures (rhinoscopy, colonoscopy, cystoscopy, bronchoscopy etc.)
Ultrasound guided FNAs and coaxial biopsy
Chemotherapy
Bone marrow biopsy & joint taps
CSF tap
Ultrasound
Echocardiogram
ECG
EMG
Fluoroscopy (swallow/cough studied)
Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT)
Oesophageal dilation
Feeding tube placement

Referral letters and reports will be provided to the referring vet after each consult to ensure that there is ongoing updates and communication.

CARE offers the following at our Essendon Fields location:

Surgery

Medicine

Critical care

Diagnostic Imaging

Pathology

Surgery

Medicine

Critical care

Diagnostic Imaging

Pathology

Our services

At ARH Essendon Fields, we believe our diagnostic imaging, nursing and intensive care services are the backbone of our hospital. We go to great lengths to ensure we have the best team and equipment in these areas so we can offer complete and cutting-edge assessment and treatment to all our patients.

ARH Essendon Fields works closely with referring veterinarians to provide advanced, comprehensive care. All patients are returned to their regular veterinarian for continued treatment and management of their condition. We are not a general practice and do not perform any routine duties such as vaccinations, heartworm injections or microchipping. Our ARH specialists are available via phone or email to provide advice to referring veterinarians. We can also talk through treatment options and cost estimates.

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We take pride in our specialty services

At ARH, we offer a comprehensive range of surgical solutions for dogs and cats, including orthopaedic, soft tissue, trauma, reconstructive and neurological surgery.

Our surgery department is led by Dr Simon Kudnig, who is a specialist in small animal surgery, a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) and a Fellow of the Australian College (FANZCVS). Simon has many years of experience as a surgeon and takes a considered approach to surgery. Simon and his team will provide a thorough plan to help ensure the best result for your pet.

Common surgical procedures performed at ARH include stifle (knee) stabilisation procedures for cruciate ligament injuries, fracture repair, limb deformity correction, arthroscopy, abdominal and thoracic surgery, reconstructive surgery, hemilaminectomy and ventral slot procedures for intervertebral disc disease, spinal stabilisation for fractures or dislocations, and laparoscopic procedures.

We are fully equipped with the most up-to-date surgical equipment and implants, including:

Standard and locking titanium and stainless-steel plates for fracture repair
Minimally invasive (keyhole) surgical equipment for arthroscopy, laparoscopy and thoracoscopy
External fixation implants for limb deformity correction and fracture repair
Ureteral stents and bypass implants for ureteral obstruction
Bipolar vessel-sealing technology for ligation
Stapling devices for organ removal
In-house access to CT, MRI, digital radiography, fluoroscopy and ultrasound, providing the most advanced diagnostic imaging options available.

Our specialist surgeons are assisted by a highly qualified support team. The integration of surgery with internal medicine, oncology, diagnostic imaging, and emergency and critical care ensures a seamless approach to your pet’s care. Exemplary postoperative pain relief and care for surgical patients is provided by our 24-hour hospital and intensive care unit.

Our specialists are happy to discuss the diagnosis and treatment of patients with referring veterinarians by phone or email correspondence, including a radiographic appraisal of any case.

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Our internal medicine team, led by Dr Robert Labuc, treats a broad range of cases, such as gastrointestinal disease (including liver, pancreas and bowel disease); cardiac and respiratory disease; endocrine problems (such as diabetes and thyroid disease); kidney issues; immune problems; and joint disease.

The training and experience of our internal medicine specialist enable him to work with your local veterinarian to provide the highest standard of care for your pet. Our specialists receive referrals for patients that are critically ill, as well as those with chronic or ongoing problems.

They are able to use their expertise combined with diagnostic tools, including endoscopy, ultrasound, CT and MRI, to investigate the cause of a pet’s illness and to offer the best possible advice on treatment options.

Our specialists are happy to discuss the diagnosis and treatment of patients with referring veterinarians by phone or email correspondence, including a radiographic appraisal of any case.

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Our emergency and critical care department at ARH Essendon Fields offers a high level of patient care, diagnostics and intensive care medicine. This includes blood transfusions, emergency oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, emergency surgical procedures, blood gas analysis, constant delivery of pain medications, and the treatment of heart failure, poisonings and trauma.

Specialist referral to emergency and critical care is available by prior appointment. We also provide regular support, case rounds, and back-up for our emergency team at other times.

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ARH Essendon Fields diagnostic imaging suite is very advanced, allowing our specialists to obtain the highest quality images required for diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis of your pet’s condition.

On-site, ARH Essendon Fields have:

16-slice helical CT
CR digital radiography
Two ultrasound machines, including colour flow Doppler
MRI
Fluoroscopy

Images are interpreted by our highly skilled clinicians and supported by specialist radiologists within the ARH group

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Our ARH nurses are highly skilled, compassionate people who will go above and beyond when caring for your pet. We have dedicated nurses in surgery, internal medicine, intensive care, and emergency and critical care. All our nurses undergo regular in-house training and attend conferences and lectures to ensure they provide the best care to our patients.

ARH encompasses a specialist referral service and emergency hospital in one business, which allows our nurses to provide seamless continuity of care to your pet. Whatever time of day your pet is being treated, our nurses will strive to provide a comfortable and anxiety-free stay for them.

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ARH Essendon Fields offers on-site pathology through Idexx’s state-of-the-art point-of-care systems. This includes biochemistry testing, complete blood count (Lasercyte and Procyte), urine testing, cortisol, thyroid and blood coagulation testing.

This means your pet's test results can be available swiftly in an emergency, by providing life-saving information without the need to send blood samples to an external laboratory.

For intensive care patients, the Radiometer ABL-90 blood gas analyser provides comprehensive, critical information regarding your pet’s blood pH levels, electrolytes and haemoglobin levels. Blood gas and electrolyte results are available in less than a minute once the sample is collected.

During normal business hours, we are backed by the full support of Melbourne’s leading veterinary pathology laboratories, including Idexx and Gribbles.

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Our ARH receptionists are the welcoming face of our organisation and will support you during your time at our hospital. Our receptionists are highly trained and compassionate people. They can assist with making and changing appointments, organising visits with your pet, providing information on hospital stays and connecting you with our specialists. They are also the resident experts in payment options, such as VetPay, and can process your insurance claims if desired.

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Our Facilities

ARH Essendon Fields is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, it features:

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About ARH Essendon Fields

The Animal Referral Hospital is Australia’s largest veterinary specialist and emergency group, providing outstanding veterinary care for pets across our eight hospitals nationally.

Our ARH Essendon Fields location has a 24/7 emergency department and specialist veterinary referral services in surgery and internal medicine. This is supported by a range of on-site facilities, such as advanced diagnostic imaging, a laboratory and fully equipped surgical theatres.

ARH Essendon Fields is part of the larger ARH group which opened in Sydney in 1999.

Our Services

Surgery

Our surgery department offers a comprehensive array of specialised orthopaedic and soft tissue surgical procedures and services.

Medicine

Our internal medicine department applies advanced diagnostic techniques and experience to optimise the care of patients with complex conditions.

Diagnostic Imaging

Find Vet Diagnostic Imaging services at Animal Referral Hospital, including MRI, CT, Fluoroscopy, X-ray, and Ultrasound. Find your nearest emergency vet.

Nursing

Our ARH nurses are highly skilled, compassionate people who will go above and beyond when caring for your pet.

Onsite Pathology

ARH Essendon Fields offers on-site pathology through Idexx’s state-of-the-art point-of-care systems.

Reception

Our ARH receptionists are the welcoming face of our organisation and will support you during your time at our hospital.

Critical Care

Animal Referral & Emergency Network’s highly qualified specialists can provide your pets with advanced veterinary services in surgery, internal medicine, oncology, diagnostic imaging, critical care, dermatology, neurology, behaviour, dentistry, rehabilitation, ophthalmology and anaesthesia.

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