A bunny that ate the butterfly

There is a cute little commercial on TV in Australia at the moment... well, cute is the wrong word, I think. It is quirky.  And it ends with a white bunny rabbit sticking its tongue out (like a frog) to eat a butterfly.


Things are not always as you expect at
Russell Vale Animal Clinic

Just bear with me... I am not mad (much).  Why do you think this commercial is so interesting? And why I like it?

Well, it is basically advertising a drink, which I don't really remember what it is, but this drink is obviously not you would have expected by its appearance or its name.

And that is, you will see, is what that bunny (and commercial) and I have in common. 

All of what we do, at Russell Vale Animal Clinic, is not what you would expect for our size (as a solo vet) or our location (in the boundary corner of Bellambi and Russell Vale) in the northern suburbs of Wollongong.

We aren't fancy, and we don't pretend to be best vet in town.   We don't have the best equipment, or the most staff.  We don't have the longest hours, and we aren't open 24/7.

So, what do we have that makes us the bunny rabbit eating the butterfly.... in other words, what makes us, possibly, the right vet for your pet?


Dirk, the vet nurse, with Benji - pretending to be twins!

You are our family.
All those who visit us at Russell Vale Animal Clinic, join our animalclinic family.  And with that, comes all that having a family means.  It means that we will treat you honestly, and fairly, with respect, and that we expect there to be some disagreements also.  

But blood is thicker than water, and we will fight for what is right for your pet, every time.

We genuinely like animals
Seriously, we do.  But that comes with its own problems too.  Because we care about our animals, and we see ourselves as their voice in some situations,  we know that sometimes you don't like to hear what your pet (via us) has to say. 

We may not be the right vet for you
This is important.  We don't try to be everything for everyone.   We know that we may not be the right vet for you or your pet.   That may be your choice, or it may be that your pet has a medical or surgical problem, that really needs someone different to deal with that.

That is our guarantee.... if we don't feel that we are perfectly capable of performing the procedure or test on your pet,  then we will tell you so.  Which means, when we do do something, we are confident in our abilities to do it.

And, we respect that even if we do think we have the expertise, we also understand your right to choose another vet.

Our commitment to Continuing Education


Dr Liz with an example of her digital Dental Xray system -
And this dog's mouth looked normal.

Dr Liz (aka moi), is one of a handful of vets in the Illawarra with a CMAVA after her name.  This means that Dr Liz is a Chartered Member of the Australian Veterinary Association - this is an earned title, which is issued each calendar year, in recognition of "Continuing Education"... and Dr Liz has had this issued since 2003 - each year - without fail. And in that, she is unique in the area. An example of this committment, is providing dental xrays since 2005, and digital dental xrays since 2009, and currently, the only veterinary hospital in the Illawarra to provide intra-oral dental xrays. We were the first vet to offer 3 year vaccinations for dogs, as well as titre testing in high risk patients. 


Our commitment to Quality Equipment, Materials and maintenance
Well, this is the part you do not see, but often complain about when you see the bill.  We are committed to purchasing quality surgical instruments, safe anaesthetic medications and machines, single use suture materials, just to name a few.  We could use cheaper drugs, and cheap stainless steel instruments, and this would certainly make the service we provide alot cheaper for you.   But we won't compromise on quality. We believe your pet deserves better.

Our committment to reduce the cost of veterinary fees for you.
So, how do we do this?  I just wrote above that we don't skimp on our surgical tools, or choose cheap medications.  In 2012, it was
-  installing a solar electricity system, as electricity is one of the expenses that has jumped dramatically in the past few years (as it has for you).

-  Switching to txt messages and emails where feasible, without compromising the personal phone call where necessary.
-  Offering an online booking system - means you save money too - just book online, and get confirmation online!
 Just to name a few things.....

 We choose to stay small, family and local.
I used to have employees, and hired locums when I needed holiday time... but that didn't quite fit in with my "family pet vet practice" that was my vision in my head. 

So, we chose to go small, and stay small.  We know in this era of big business, corporate medical facilities, and profit driven practices, that the smaller family based businesses find it hard to compete against the "economies of scale" offered by other veterinary hospitals.

But our committment to you.... is that we are here for your and your pet, and will stay here for your and pet so long as we are needed in the community.  Because without you, there can be no Russell Vale vets.

Let us hope that it is for a long long long time.