ICU & Recovery

Nursing pets back to health

When your pet has to spend some time as an in-patient at Alpine Animal Doctors they will be looked after in an environment appropriate to their condition. For most that will be the general ‘ward’. For those recovering from major surgery or perhaps a snake bite our intensive care unit will be where they are nursed back to health.

Just like people, pets recover from illness or surgery at different rates and the right environment can help them get better faster. Our recovery facilities are designed to provide optimum after care for all our patients.

Hospital opening hours

  • Monday: 8.30 to 5.30
  • Tuesday 8.30 to 5.30
  • Wednesday: 9 to 1
  • Thursday: 8.30 to 5.30
  • Friday: 8.30 to 5.30
  • Saturday: 9 to 1
  • Sunday: Closed

7047 Great Alpine Road,
Porepunkah, VIC 3740

Current and prospective clients are always welcome to inspect the hospital facilities at Alpine Animal Doctors. Clinic tours are strictly by appointment and can only be conducted when sterile areas (e.g., operating theatres) are not in use.

To make an appointment please call…

5756 2444

Intensive care and recovery wards

The recovery area of a well equipped animal hospital has undergone a sea change from the old idea of a few cages out the back, where seriously ill animals could be located next to a noisy pet recovering from a simple anaesthetic. Progressive veterinary clinics recognise that, just like us, pets need specific after-care plans appropriate to their condition.

At Alpine Animal Doctors we have three dedicated recovery areas. Following routine procedures pets recover very quickly and most of our patients will be in and out of the hospital in a single day. As soon as the anaesthetic wears off they’re up in their cages and demanding to go home. These animals are housed in the general recovery ward, where they’ll be regularly monitored for a few hours before being picked up by their owners.

More seriously ill patients, those needing longer recovery periods or round-the-clock monitoring, go into our Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This area is equipped with more sophisticated levels of monitoring equipment which allows us to keep a 24-hour watch on patients and to monitor any IV drips etc.

The ICU is also home to our humidicrib. Most people will be familiar with this technology, used in hospitals for premature babies. Only rarely found in veterinary clinics our humidicrib is used in exactly the same way for pets as it is for babies — providing a warm, sterile and controlled environment where we can supply oxygen, monitor vital signs, deliver fluids and generally monitor a patient’s health during critical periods. Although mostly used for new-born animals our humidicrib also often plays an important role in the treatment of specific conditions in older pets.

In addition to these recovery wards the hospital also has an Isolation Unit where patients known or suspected to be carrying an infectious disease are housed. Although rarely used — and we hope we never have to use it for a notifiable disease — it’s an important part of our facilities.

There are a number of zoonotic and other infectious diseases that can be transmitted to other animals or to humans. The Isolation Unit helps prevent the spread of these diseases to other patients in the hospital and, importantly, into the community. Stringent biosecurity protocols are in place to ensure the integrity of the unit and the safety of Alpine Animal Doctors staff, clients and patients.

Find all of our veterinary services here...

The humidicrib in the ICU at Alpine Animal Doctors

TOUR OUR HOSPITAL FACILITIES

Use the links below to visit each of our hospital departments and discover the extensive range of clinical and surgical facilities you'll find at Alpine Animal Doctors.

Diagnostic Tools

Pathology Lab

Radiology Suite

Surgical Suite

Dentistry Suite

ICU & Recovery Wards

VETERINARY SERVICES

Our state-of-the-art hospital technology allows us to offer our clients an extensive range of services for all animals. Click here to discover our full range of veterinary services.

E&OE. The information provided in the articles on this site is intended as a guide to assist readers to become better informed about health issues that may affect their pets and livestock. They are not a substitute for appropriate veterinary advice and treatment. They should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any individual animal and no person should place reliance on information derived from them, where such reliance may result in loss, damage or injury. Always consult a qualified veterinarian to obtain advice.

Although Alpine Animal Doctors make every effort to ensure that the information contained in our articles is accurate and up-to-date we can accept no responsibility for errors or omissions that may occur.