Veterinary Referral Hospital

We've been visiting VRH vet after being referred to Dr Claire Cannon when my dog Ace was diagnosed with aggressive mast cell cancer. Ace was a very anxious vet goer, and they gave him the most positive of experiences during his 5 months of treatment and genuinely cared that he has the best experience possible. We were never rushed and Claire would answer every single one of my questions or concerns in great detail not only in person but also over the phone regularly. The treatment and care that he received was top notch and thorough. The support provided to my partner and I was remarkable, support on deciding the best treatment path for his unique situation without ever pressuring us into any treatment option and really focusing on quality of life and to keep him happy and healthy for as long as we could. A special shoutout to Emma and the rest of the team, they were so amazing to deal with and always so friendly and accommodating.It's an awful experience having your beloved dog diagnosed with cancer and if you're reading this and am in the same situation as we were I highly encourage you to visit Claire at VRH she is extremely knowledgeable, professional, compassionate and you will be in the best hands possible.We were granted what I consider to be extra time with our boy that we wouldn't have had otherwise, and that's because of the treatment at VRH. We will treasure those extra months forever.thank you again to the whole team

If your thinking about taking you beloved pet here. Please think again.My experience was very traumatic and I never want anyone to feel the way I was made to feel.I put my trust in this vet to take care of my beautiful Staffy who I lost the night I took him to the vet. There was nothing they could do for him and I understood that.It’s what happened afterwards that has been burnt into my mind forever.They threw his collar away even though I specifically advised them to keep his collar on him as I wanted him cremated with his collar.They lost his bed and I specifically advised them that he was to be cremated in his bed.It took months of me trying to get some answers and finally I was offered a small compensation of $152.00.Such a small amount for such a large trauma I have endured.To date I have not been given any monetary compensation and the person who offered me the compensation (Cate Davis) has ignored my emails.I feel this vet is all about getting paid and not interested in the care, support and empathy required to deal with our beloved pets.Your pet will just be a number.Please do not get involved with them, it will cause you more pain and trauma.My heart is broken thinking about what they did to my boy behind closed doors.If I could give zero stars I certainly would!!

I am one of those people who loves their dog more than life itself. Had her 13 years she’s been very healthy but suddenly she became seriously ill and needed a specialist. I ended up here simply because of the shortest waiting list. I was so worried taking her to a new vet that was so so far away from me. I love our local vets so much I was anxious and wary about the kind of care she would receive. Having been seeing the specialist here for nearly two months now I can’t speak more highly of this place especially their internal medicine team with Matt but everyone from the front desk and nurses and interns is lovely, attentive and thorough. I had all my options laid out for me with not just the costs but also the pros and cons of doing or doing not certain tests so I could make informed decisions. I was listened to when I reported significant changes in her personality that only I could notice. When she was in the hospital they cared so much about not just getting her healthy but getting her home to recover both to save me costs and to get her into a more relaxing environment. When she was home and I called with questions everyone I spoke to was very patient and thorough and gave great advice about what did and didn’t need follow up. Even when she was stabilised I still chose to drive the over two hour round trip to do all her follow ups here despite that being available at closer animal hospitals because they are so great. Truly could not be more grateful to the staff here they saved my baby and healed her to give her a great quality of life to live out her retirement years with lots of energy. I know if you’re looking at coming here you must be stressed and sad with your ill pet but please please be kind to these people, they care so much they work so hard and in my experience do everything they can to help you and your pet. Thank you so much VRH from me and my dog Kitty!

I am so grateful for the compassion and love that I received during my recent visit here. I brought my kitty in to organise her cremation, and the staff were so patient and kind, they took time to explain everything gently to me as I was an absolute mess.We had come home to find our beautiful girl deceased for unknown reasons, I was in shock and devastated, and the love and empathy I felt from the staff really made me feel so much more comfortable to hand her over.I've attached pictures of our Angel, as I'd like to staff to get the chance to see how sweet she was.Rachel Hearps

We want to thank the kind staff of VRH Dandenong during our recent visit with our precious boy Snowy. We want to thank especially Dr Tiffany in helping us make the difficult decision of alleviating the suffering of our precious boy. Dr Tiffany has been a constant in treating Snowy and always so kind with her words. We also want to thank VRH for going the extra mile of helping us remember Snowy with a special card, even though we were not in the right frame of mind to request one during that night. Our experience at VRH was special and memorable because of the care and understanding they put in to help us through our most difficult time. Thank you. Alan & Yvonne

It will be 3 weeks tomorrow that we lost our Beautiful Baby Girl Mildred. Our hearts are still broken! The photos show Mildred after her operation for cancer tumor removal and then on the beach months later during her chemo treatment - happy and enjoying the beach.She was our gorgeous fur baby and we would do anything to have her here with us BUT that was not to be. We had 12 joyous years with Mildred and cherish every moment we had with her.To put our Baby in the hands of a Dr and hospital was always going to be very hard but we had to do just that.She was in the care of Dr Claire, Nurse Emma and all the other beautiful staff at VRH. What can I say about those people who cared for Mildred when she was so sick - they are the most professional, caring, knowledgeable and compassionate people Mildred could have in her corner. She was given an extra 6 months of great quality of life by Claire (and the staff at VRH) that we wouldn't have had if Mildred was not cared for by the team.Every visit Mildred was cared for like she was part of their family _ from the ladies who were on the front desk giving her a cuddle to the treatment for her cancer.THANK YOU does not seem enough when our baby was at her most vulnerable but treated so perfectly and compassionately! But THANK YOU is all I can say and THANK YOU from Mildred.We will never forget the care you gave her.Ann-Marie, Lauren and especially Mildred,

Very upset that my dog had to suffer for days from a significant brain tumour not picked up by the vets at this hospital. Presented twice and was told my dog could walk fine and it was hip dysplasia. They even kept him overnight and said nothing else was wrong when he was face planting constantly at home. Sent home with extra panadol. Then Mornington Vet hospital discovered not even two days later the huge brain tumour. Lodged a complaint nearly 2 weeks ago and still no response. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our dog 14/6/23 as the tumour was inoperable and he was in so much pain.

We took our dog to this clinic as he was very unwell. During the time our dog was at the hospital, we found the reception staff and vets to be kind, helpful and professional to deal with. Sadly our precious boy didn't make it. The staff did what they could to help him but it wasn't mean to be. Our regular vet would not have been able to care for our dog in the way that VRH did. Staff were respectful and compassionate during the ending and our dog passed peacefully.