Making A Difference!
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Dr Alex has treated her fair share of Patients since joining the Team at YVV in 2016, but these are some of her more memorable ones. From Bucking Bulls to Little puppies, SHE DOES IT ALL!! And isn't afraid of a "Little" Poop!
I started as a fresh-faced graduate veterinarian with Yass Valley Veterinary in 2016! It’s a bit surreal that I’m already reaching my fourth year with the team. I feel so at home in the Yass Valley because of the variable & always interesting case load, strong community values & clients who allow me the opportunity to assist in keeping their beloved animals healthy & happy.
One of the things I absolutely love is that our team always has a can-do attitude. It was a very hot, dry summer day last year when my nurse Brodie and I were scheduled for pregnancy testing 150 cows on a farm about 30 minutes out of town. When we arrived to, lets say a very basic yard, I then noticed that there were far more than 150 cows in the yards & paddocks behind. I asked the farmer how many we were checking for pregnancy, he then replied with 450!
This was one the first times that Brodie had been with me & experienced the joy of dust, heat & a ridiculous amount of cow poo. We rang the clinic to let them know we’d be a fair while longer & we got stuck in.
On this day, the farmer had several things he had to do including walking cows back to their paddocks, so it was largely a girl-power effort. Brodie was constantly jumping over yard rails to run a few more cows into the forcing yard, pushing them down the race to me, then changing draft gates to keep the empty (not pregnant) cows separate from the ones who were pregnant.
By the end of the day we were EXHAUSTED! But proud of what we’d achieved with mostly just the two of us. Since this day the yards have been vastly improved & far more efficient for such a big job, which is always appreciated. I’ve also learnt to ask who will be there to help on the day.
It wasn’t long after this day that the clinic had received a phone call for a Bucking Bull who had been drooling & very lethargic. I went out to this farm to examine the bull, named Stealth who had evidently hurt himself in a paddock accident & fractured his jaw. Without hesitation, his owner & contractor advised me to do whatever was necessary to fix Stealth.
I then called on the back up of my ever-supportive boss, Stuart. We then wired up his jaw so that it was able to heal. Since the 8 weeks of nursing & pain management by his owner, he has gone on to win a national title & perform at an elite level. He’s one to watch & a real testament to the commitment of his owner.
I’ll always have a real soft spot for cattle but it’s not just large animal stories that I really get a kick out of, even if it’s some un-godly hour in the morning, which is exactly what happened when I received a 4am phone call for a German Shepherd who had been in active labour for far too long & no puppies had been passed.
We all came into the clinic & I examined her. I then ultra-sounded the puppies & determined by their low heart rate that they were in foetal distress & needed to be removed via caesarean. After which I made the call to wake up one of wonderful nurses to help me. That very “EARLY” morning, we were privileged to deliver 9 healthy puppies. A few of them went to local homes & from time to time, I see them out on a walk or in the clinic for routine health visits.
I am finding now that I’ve been able to follow a few long-term cases through & really feel that I am making a positive, genuine difference to a family. I love being a part of the Yass Valley Veterinary team & wouldn’t change it.
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Sadly, we have had some staff changes recently at Yass Valley Veterinary. After 3 years, Dr Issy Card has taken a small animal position in Canberra. Our recently married Dr Anne Cusack is relocating to Wagga for her husband’s work, and Dr Natalie Flew is also leaving us to work in an emergency afterhours clinic in Canberra with more suitable hours for her new family. We will all miss these three amiable, dedicated and competent veterinarians and wish them well in their future pursuits. Dr Stuart Williams, after almost 33 years at Yass Valley Veterinary (15 years as a partner with Dr Peter Gibbs and 15 years as sole principal), is resigning from his full-time position at the end of February. He is looking forward to having a break away from afterhours on call and managing a large staff across two hospitals. Working as a volunteer veterinarian in Australia and overseas, travelling with his wife Cath and spending some much needed time at home and in the garden, is on the agenda for Stuart in the short term. Dr Tamara Butler, who has been with the business for 17 years, will be promoted to the Lead Vet role when Stuart resigns. Dr Nicole McKenzie will take on the Tamara’s Veterinary Manager role, while Ms Carrie Luckie will retain the Practice Manager role. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and care that each of our departing veterinarians has given to our clients and patients, and their departures will mean a temporary change to our service availability. Be assured that we are actively and enthusiastically recruiting veterinarians to join our team. We’d like to introduce Dr Josh Tannen, a small animal veterinarian & surgeon, who will be with us until April. This experienced and easy-going locum will be very welcome by the team. However, in the short term, we will be operating with a smaller team, so there may be occasions where we are unable to provide the full range of services that are currently provided. What does this mean for you? • At times, we may need to rotate Saturday clinic closures. • There will be evenings or weekends when we do not have an after-hours veterinarian available. We will always do our best to keep you informed. Any changes to opening hours or services will be communicated via our social media pages and through notifications on the Yass Vet App. As always, if you require after-hours assistance when a veterinarian is not available, please call us on 6226 4444. Your call will be answered by a team of qualified nurses who will triage your situation and direct you to the closest appropriate emergency hospital if needed. We truly appreciate your understanding, patience, and ongoing support during this period of transition. Our commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care for your animals remains at the heart of everything we do.
