Long lost family.
Admin Team
We all love a happy ending and for one special Puss and his owners, Louise and the team were able to make this come true!
As a receptionist in a mixed practice my day is never the same from one day to the next. There is always something interesting happening. From advice to new puppies and kittens owners (yes I do love a cuddle when I get a chance), emergencies as they come in or call through, pet owners needing advice and dealing with the ever evolving schedule of the day. However my favorite thing is seeing all the pets and their families. Watching them all grow and finding out what it the latest thing going on in their lives.
Once particularly memorable day we had a full schedule of surgeries, consults and a last minute emergency horse call . All equipment had been gathered and packed in the vet car while I was confirming the directions. The vet and vet nurse left for the treatment of the horse. In the midst of the chaos a gentleman had come in and waited patiently to explain that he had a cat in the car he would like us to look at.
He and his family had been staying in a campground in Bowning and they had picked up a cat that kept hanging around. Although it looked very matted and a little thin, it did not appear to be a stray. The family was due to head home and the girls didn’t want to leave the cat out there. I followed the man out to the car with the microchip scanner to see a rather matted but cuddled cat in the laps of 2 girls in the back of the car. I was able to do a quick scan for a microchip and luckily it came up.
I returned to the computer and began to search the microchip details in our system. We didn’t get a result in our system but had found a result in the national microchip register.
I was able to speak to one of the contacts listed under the microchip. “Hello this is Louise, I’m calling from the Yass Valley Veterinary I have Coco here with us. He has been brought in to be scanned. Is this your cat?” The owner was silent. “I’m sorry what? Has fluffy been brought in there? You found the body?” The owner was getting teary over the phone. “No, he is alive, a little thin and a few matts, he was found in Bowning.” “Are you sure?? He has been missing for 3 months! He’s alive?”. I replied “Yes, your details having been found on the chip I had scanned”. A very emotional owner “I can’t believe this… we gave up hope… wait, where are you? We live in Canberra, how did he get there…my kids will be so happy, I’m leaving work now…”
The camping family said their goodbyes and one of our vets gave Coco a quick check over for any injuries.
The very happy owner called on the way again to get directions and couldn’t believe he was alive and uninjured.
We can only credit this happy ending to the fact that this cat was micro-chipped at their local vet clinic and it shows just how important this actually is.
I have been working in Yass Valley Veterinary now for almost 3 years. I can honestly say it is a place I love to work at. The team is one of the best bunch of people I have worked with and I enjoy working for a local business that is part of the community.
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.
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